Rebirth
by Trinnerti
Summary: Pushed to the edge Sakura had only two options left. Fall or turn around and fight back. Completed for now
1. last straw

genre: angst/hurt/comfort/friendship/romance/drama (those are the one I can think of)  
Summary: He'd left her when she needed him the most. Now seeing his mistake, can he undo his mistake? Eventually KakaSaku

**Rebirth**

Sakura should have known this would happen. Her eyes red and puffy from the tears she´d spent. Her breath hitched and ragged as her form shook. Her fists clenched and unclenched, but her eyes never stopped looking at the one spot. The spot where he was supposed to appear. But no matter how long she waited he did not come. Finally her knees buckled and all her strength left her as she fell on the ground. Her team mates left her. Why should she expect any difference from the man she looked up to?

It started this morning, getting up for her daily routine she did before she went to her training. Her hair was pulled in a small ponytail as she grabbed her tube toothpaste and her brush. When no white substance came out, she turned the opening towards her face to see if it was really empty. The first bad thing what happened that day. With a rather hard squeeze, the paste flew straight into her emerald eyes. With a yelp she let both the tube and brush go. Blindly reaching for the tap to wash the paste away with water. After the pricking sensation left her and could once again see, she threw the tube away with a scowl.

When she was done in the bathroom, her teeth neatly brushed and her hair without tangles she opened her closet. Bad thing number two that day. Noticing a tear in her usual black shorts she sighed annoyed. It was her only clean one left. She really didn't want to wear that one, but she felt disgusted to even wear one she'd already made dirty. Having no other choice she pulled it on carefully, not wanting to make the tear bigger than it already was. Seeing another roll bandage lying on her desk, she wrapped it around the tear. Now that was taken care of, she quickly pulled on her red dress and tied her headband before hastily descending the stairs.

Her father was reading the paper, chewing on a piece of toast when she came in. With a soft hello from her side she grabbed a piece of toast for her own. The paper lowered a bit, and the dark gaze of her father fell upon her form. His mouth was twisted into a firm line when he saw the headband. His eyes narrowing and opened his mouth to speak. Sakura already saw the reaction immediately and sighed inwardly. Her parents never approved of her decision of becoming a shinobi. In their opinion all of their kind should leave. It was them who made the world rotten with war and conflicts that was unnecessarily.

"I don't want you wearing that thing in my home you hear me?" he grumbled. He folded the paper back up, placing it next to his plate.

"Sorry father," Sakura replied, releasing the knot and placing it in her lap. Her father would surely get mad if she would have placed it upon the table he was eating at. It happened once before, making it sure that Sakura would never forget to do it again. A small scar on her lower back was the very proof of that.

Her mother walked in then, kissing her husband on the cheek as she passed by and a hand going through Sakura's hair as she passed her.

"Good morning mother," Sakura said politely.

"Sakura," her mother acknowledged. She sat on the opposite side of her husband, stirring the black liquid as she added sugar to her coffee.

"What are you going to do today?" Although she knew that the answer would not please her at all. She at least tried to. And Sakura appreciated that.

"I'm going to train with Kakashi-sensei today."

"When are you going to stop with this nonsense?" her father growled. He slammed his hand down upon the table, glaring at his only child.

"Dad I like doing this, it makes me feel useful." She hit herself inwardly then. That was the last word she wanted to use.

"Useful?" her father scoffed. "Those barbarians are the reason we have war with other countries! Making it unsafe and difficult for merchants like me to do business elsewhere."

"Hikaru," her mother sighed. "If she wants to throw her life away in this rubbish then let her."

Sakura lowered her head, a pang of sadness going through her. It had always been this way whenever this subject came up. Her father always came up when he had the time. He still held hope that she would take over his business one day. Like he had taken it from his own father. It was a tradition in the Haruno family.

"You already failed the chuunin exams," her father continued on. "It's time to wake up and do a real profession like you're supposed to do."

Sakura bit the inner side of her cheek, the short bangs shielding her face from her parents. It really hurt her to have the two persons she loved most not support her. She was used to hours of her father lecturing her. But this was the first time he mentioned her failure in the chuunin exams. It was a real low blow. Sliding the chair backwards, she grabbed her unfinished toast with her free hand.

"I'm going." Without a backwards glance to either of her parents she quickly removed herself from the scene. With a deep sigh she closed the door behind her, trying to keep herself strong as she willed the tears away that threatened to spill.

Lowering her head she glanced at the headband resting in her hand, her thump sliding over the smooth metal with the insignia of leaf carved upon. Placing the toast in her mouth, she bound it back in its place. As she walked towards the training grounds she began to wonder would she was going to do today.

Now that Sasuke abandoned the village, and Naruto leaving the city with Jiraiya-sama, it was only her and Kakashi-sensei left. She shouldn't be happy about this, but she couldn't help it. She finally had the attention of the great Copy ninja to herself. Back when she first met him, he seemed to concentrate only on her two male teammates. Even when she walked up the tree first attempt, she was ordered to sit around and wait until the other two had it figured out themselves.

By the chuunin exams, he devoted his time to train Sasuke, Sakura understood that. After all, he made it to the finals. But never had she heard a compliment leaving him into her direction. Even Naruto had it from time to time. And now that those two were gone, he was forced to look at her.

She had failed to make Sasuke stay, and his departure hurt her immensely. But with Kakashi-sensei's help, she would grow stronger. No longer would she depend on others to safe her. And together with Naruto they would force him home where he belonged. There with them, team 7.

When Sakura tilted her head up, she noticed she was at the bridge where they always meet before a training session. It seemed so oddly quiet. Normally Naruto's loud voice would ring into her ears as he challenged Sasuke into another battle. The soft grunts of annoyance of her beloved Sasuke-kun or even his stoic appearance wasn't here to cheer her up.

Now she waited alone for Kakashi-sensei to show up. Sitting down upon the bench, she placed her heel on the edge, wrapping her arms around the bend leg whilst resting her chin upon the knee. Maybe he would teach her a new jutsu today. Or practice on her stamina. God knows she needed it. After sitting there for 15 minutes she became restless.

There wasn't a Naruto to distract her from the time she'd been waiting. No Sasuke-kun to look at while thinking about their future together. Nothing. Sighing she released her leg, kicking absently a small rock over the bridge into the water. Maybe he was already awaiting her on the training grounds? But that would be weird. He always waited for them before walking towards the spot where they trained. It required to walk through a piece of forest that was unprotected. Leaving it open for ambushes. It rarely happened, but there had been some cases a newly genin team was attacked. Very stupid since there always would be a jounin with them who could easily fence them off.

The sun was already high in the sky. She guessed it was almost midday. But still no sensei. She already was lying upon the bench. One hand folded behind her head as a cushion while the other rested upon her stomach. Her eyebrows knitted together, a look of annoyance adoring her face. He had made them wait for several hours. He always showed up three hours late at most. But never did he let them wait this long. With a huff she sat upright. She could do the warming up already. But if Kakashi-sensei would come and find the meeting place empty he might think she didn't show up at all. So she was bound to stay there.

"Why are you taking so long," she grumbled under her breath. With her arms and ankles crossed she glanced at the spot where he usually appeared from. Her fingers drummed upon her bare arm, her patience wearing thin. After another full hour, she was getting pissed beyond belief.

She already abandoned the bench she'd been sitting on all day, and was now staring to the water beneath her, sitting upon the rail. Her legs bungling in the air as her hand gripped the railing. She watched the fallen pentals of her namesake drifting on the water stream. It somewhat calmed her down. A sudden thought reached her then. She needed to wait here. But she could also train here. Kakashi-sensei let her walk upon trees before with chakra. So it should work with water too, right? At least when he decided to show up, she could show him something.

With her mind made up, she jumped back upon the bridge and made her way to the bank. The water wasn't still as the bark of the tree was. It shifted like a living being. So she needed to adjust her chakra flow into her feet steadily. Otherwise she would sink into the water instead of standing upon the surface like she intended. With a few calculations in her head, she channeled some chakra into her feet. Taking in a deep breath she carefully placed her feet upon the surface. With a squeal of excitement she noticed her feet didn't sink through. After a few experiments she finally gotten the concept, now able to stand on water. She smiled brightly, glad she figured something out on her own. She couldn't wait to show it to Kakashi-sensei.

Speaking of which, why wasn't he still here? With a glance to the sky it already was late in the afternoon. The time flying by as she was working on her technique. Surely he wouldn't have forgotten her would he?

Sakura bit her lip, emotions dwelling up within her. He wouldn't do that to her, she told herself. He would never forget his own student. Finally she heard some footsteps coming her way then. A bright smile formed upon her lips, deciding to keep standing upon the water to surprise Kakashi-sensei. He might be late, but surely even him would be proud of her that she figured it out on her own.

The person came closer, but when he came into sight, it wasn't the man she thought it was. It was Asuma-sensei. His head was tilted down and eyes closed, as if he was listening to an melody no one else could hear. She almost felt guilty to break him out of his peaceful trance.

"Uhm, Asuma-sensei?" Sakura called out.

The man looked up. Glancing around when he saw no one standing on the bridge with him when her voice called out again. His head turned to the pink haired girl, surprised to see her standing upon the surface as if she'd done it a million times before. It was Ino's friend, or was. He honestly didn't know. There were times where they acted like best friends, the next they were tearing each other apart. Women, he wouldn't never understand them.

Why was she there anyway? Shouldn't she supposed to be training or something? She was one of Kakashi's kids. The last one seeing that other two took off.

"Well good afternoon, Sakura. What are you doing there alone?"

"I'm waiting for Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei. But he hasn't shown up all day. Do you know where he is?" Her voice sounded insecure. As if she was afraid of his answer.

"I haven't seen him," Asuma answered truthfully. "I'm sure he will come in a matter of moments."

Sakura's head lowered with sadness. "Oke. Thank you Asuma-sensei." With a friendly wave, she was left alone again.

Having enough of standing all the time upon the water surface, the thrill of the ability she discovered on her own vanished into nothing. She paced down the bridge, slowly becoming desperate. Maybe something had happened? But if that was the case he would send Pakkun to give the message. He wouldn't leave her standing, waiting all day long. Slowly the dusk came. The sun sinking back into the ground and ending another day.

Her eyes were burning with the unshed tears. Her eyes trained upon the spot where he was supposed to come. With one shaky breath, the tears slowly began to slide down her cheeks. Her breath coming in short hitches as she sobbed. One hand pressed against her mouth as she tried to smother the sounds of her pain. The other wrapped around her stomach for a small sign of comfort.

She should have know. Never in her life did all those bad things happen to her in the morning. But now it seemed like an omen, preparing her for what was to come today.

Kakashi-sensei didn't show up. He had left her there all alone without a message he wasn't coming. Just like Naruto and Sasuke-kun, he had left her alone, abandoned. Didn't she mean anything to him at all? Wasn't she worth his teachings? Was she a disappointment and not even worth his time? Sure she wasn't as strong as Naruto or as fast as Sasuke-kun. But that didn't mean she was useless. Because she lacked in those areas wasn't he supposed to teach her so she could become stronger in those aspects? Wasn't he assigned to do that when he became her sensei?

Her eyes were red and puffy from all the tears she'd spent. Her breath hitched as her form shook. Her fists clenched and unclenched, but her eyes never stopped looking at the one spot. The spot where he was supposed to appear. But no matter how long she waited he did not come. Finally her knees buckled, her strength leaving her as she fell on the ground. Her eyes squeezed shut as another tear rolled down.

Her insecure feelings boiled up to the surface. The voices of her parents, friends and her beloved Sasuke-kun filling her ears as she cried out her agony. She was weak and useless in their eyes. Didn't have the abilities nor potential to come a heroin like she dreamed when she was a young girl. Was that all Kakashi thought she was? A stupid young girl with a dream she could never achieve? Was that why he left her alone or spend time on her training? Never did he give her extra assignments she could practice on? In missions, all he did was protect her from harm. Not even letting her come near the fight, just pushing her away. Was all that was she was? A burden?

Her heart was broken just has her spirit. Her determined fire that burned in her eyes slowly dulled to nothing as a part of her died. She didn't know how long she lay there. Her empty eyes staring at the spot, a small sparkle of hope that he might come still flickering somewhere deep within the dark inside of her. But he never came.

After the sun long gone, and the first stars appeared in the darkened sky she finally began to move. Her form was stiff but didn't even wince as her muscles protested to her erupt movement. With a slow pace she began to make her way home. She passed by the academy and saw her old sensei locking up the place.

He seemed to notice her as he waved enthusiastically. Sakura wanted to returned the happiness, but she just couldn't push herself to do so. She came as far to lift her hand in a greeting, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly upwards before it fell again.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Iruka said cheerily when he was in reach.

"Iruka-sensei," Sakura nodded politely. "Have you seen Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh no, he's gone back on solo duties. He was send away yesterday on a mission. I thought you knew by being his last student here in the village." He sounded genuinely worried.

Sakura smiled sadly. "Ah yes, I forgotten. Thank you Iruka-sensei."

"No problem Sakura. I see you around." With a friendly smile send her way he was gone.

Sakura watched him go before continuing her way. Her heavy with the knowledge that confirmed her suspicion. The man she looked up to, to guide her way had given up on her. Not even thinking she was worth it to send the message he was back on mission duty. He just picked up and left.

Opening the front door, the smell of her favorite food reached her nose. But unlike other times it didn't cheer her up this time. She pushed the door closed, kicking off her sandals before placing them in the rack.

"Finally home from that godforsaken place," her father called from the kitchen. He came to stand in the opening, her mother joining shortly afterwards.

Then Sakura finally snapped. She couldn't take it anymore. Her parents didn't support her and certainly Kakashi-sensei didn't either. So what was the point going through this torture when nobody cared? With tears streaming down her cheeks she pulled the headband from her hair, throwing it across the room. With a hard thud it slammed against the wall before it fell upon the ground.

"Fine! You won dad, I quit!" she yelled through her tears. She could see the shocked faces of her parents. But now she couldn't care less. "I do what you want, I can't take it anymore."

"Sakura…" her mother said shocked. Seeing her daughter so in distress and pain, so fragile wasn't what she ever wanted to see. The lovely green eyes that she loved so much looked up at her, having heard her call. Instead of the fire look she'd gotten from her father she now saw emptiness and just plain hollow. It scared her.

Without another word Sakura ran upstairs to her room, not having any appetite left. Her mother stared after her shocked. Her father sighed, moving away from the opening and grabbing the headband lying upon the ground.

"Finally knocked some sense into the girl," he muttered. Opening the trash can, he let the headband fall into it. He didn't like seeing his baby girl so upset. But what else should he expect from a girl just giving up her dream. But it was good she finally saw it through his point of view. Because in the end she would be better off than with that scum. Without a final glance he closed the lit of the trashcan.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. leaving it all behind

**A/N: ** Thanks for all the reviews, sorry for the long wait.

Karen: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Special thanks to TMB

**Chapter 2:**

The next morning Sakura awoke with a headache. Her head was pounding from all the crying she'd done. She felt empty and even though she just woke up from her sleep, she never felt more tired than ever before in her life. She could feel the dried tears streaks on her cheeks, slightly pulling on her skin. Her pillow was still a bit damp. With a sigh she pushed herself in a sitting position. One hand ran through her messy hair while the other rubbed in her eyes.

Her hand fell back in her lap as she turned her head to look at the alarm on her nightstand. Red digits stared back at her, telling it was a few hours before noon. Unconsciously she let her gaze slide further to a wooden frame standing next to it. It was a picture of team 7. A wave of pain and loneliness fell over her when she looked at it. When it came to a point she couldn't handle it anymore she jumped off the bed. She strode towards the nightstand, picking the picture frame up and throwing it in the trash cabin. For a moment she kept looking at it, knowing that was she did just now was another step away from her former life.

Shoving the trash cabin underneath her desk she quickly pulled on some clothes and went downstairs. She could already smell the scent of freshly made pancakes and coffee. As she entered the kitchen, her father was seated at his usual spot, the head seat of the dinner table whilst her mother was flipping over another pancake. A plate was resting near her with already several pancakes waiting to be severed.

Quietly, Sakura sat down on her spot. Her head was bent as her eyes locked with the edge of the kitchen table. She really wasn't in the mood to talk. Her father folded up his paper and laid it down next to his empty plate. He eyes shifted towards his only child and smiled softly. A thing he hadn't done in quite awhile. Not since she became a genin and received her headband to be precise.

"Good morning Sakura," her father greeted her. His fingers intertwined with each other and rested it upon the empty spot in front of him. He meant business.

"Good morning Dad," Sakura said politely. She inwardly sighed. Figures he would start to be kind against her now that she stopped struggling against his will.

"I already spoke with an old acquaintance of mine. Even though you missed a great part of the first year, I pulled on a few strings and let you roll into the year. You're a smart girl after all; it shouldn't be that much of a problem for you."

Sakura swallowed heavily. That was why her father was in such of a good mood. She forced a small smile. "That's great Dad."

Hikaru nodded approvingly. "Yes, I'm glad you finally knocked some sense into your head. I'm proud of you. Now, the school is closed until next week. They're having a short break. So you're coming with me on my business trip to get you familiar with the terms. All the things you're going to learn at school. But I figured I already could teach you a few things myself."

Playing with her fork Sakura nodded. "Sounds great, when do we leave?"

"Ah eager to get your hands dirty huh?" Her father smirked. "I knew my little girl was still there somewhere. We leave tomorrow afternoon."

Her mother was done flipping the last pancake and placed the plate filled with pancakes in the middle of the table. While they started to eat, Sakura tried to remember where she put her headband. Since she wasn't going to be a kunoichi anymore she needed to hand in her headband as sign she resigned. She hadn't seen it lying in her room when she was dressing up.

Then it finally came to her. She swallowed her bite and took a sip from her milk when she addressed her father. "Dad?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Where did you place my headband when I threw it in the hallway?" Sakura asked carefully. Her hands twitched nervously when a dark look appeared in her father's eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have asked after all.

"And why do you want that stupid thing?" He nearly growled. He certainly wasn't pleased her mind was already drifting back to the path of evil. Not when he finally got her back on the track he wanted her on. She would take over the family business, just like he had done.

"I need to give it back to the Hokage. Otherwise I will still be registered in the active duty," Sakura murmured with unease. The mood was quickly changed to normal. The answer Sakura had given him had certainly pleased him. Knowing that she hadn't angered her father, she inhaled relieved.

"I threw it in the trash cabin where it belongs," her father snorted. His hand reached for his coffee mug, sipping his drink before he continued to eat.

Sakura nodded. She quickly gulped down her milk before grabbing her plate and now empty glass to place it on the counter. She walked over to the corner where the grey trash cabin was standing. As she opened the lit she could see the metal Leaf insignia smiling back at her. With a sigh she pulled it out, not even bothering to clean it off from the dirty stains.

Just before she wanted to step out of the kitchen her father called out to her. "You have a meeting with the director over one hour. I'll pick you up from the Hokage tower so we go there together. I still need to fill in some files so you're registered there properly."

"Okay Dad, till then."

She quickly pulled on her shoes, neglecting the sandals she'd been wearing most of the time. She should get used of wearing shoes again instead of sandals and this was the perfect time to start. Grabbing the headband that lay next to her she ran out of her parental home. After she was at least a few blocks away from her home she slowed down to a stop. Carefully she cleaned up the headband. Even if she wasn't going to serve her village in this way anymore, she could at least show respect towards it. Then when she was satisfied with the result she resumed her way. It wasn't such a long walk anymore. She greeted some people that she'd recognized as her father colleagues or friends of her mother.

She stopped momentarily before the entrance of the Hokage tower. Sakura took a deep breath, calming her racing heart before she continued. The reception was abandoned so she simply let herself up. She always hated walking up that long haul of steps and she was glad she didn't have to come here anymore. At least one favorable point of her quitting.

The door that would lead her into the Hokage's office came into view. She knocked politely three times and waited for 'Enter' before she opened the door.

Sakura closed the door behind her before turning her eyes to the fifth Hokage. She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. She hadn't seen the new Hokage yet or had spoken with her directly. When the new Hokage was presented to the village, her father had her running some errands outside the village. Her cheeks blushed a fiery red when the first thing she noticed was her rather large cleavage. She was ashamed that was the first thing she looked at, but it was one thing that stood out the most. The second were the two blonde pigtails that rested on her shoulder. Her honey eyes looked her over, her eyes stern as she waited impatiently what the girl in front of her wanted.

"I haven't got all day," The blonde woman barked when the pink haired girl still hadn't said why she was bothering her.

Her hand rubbed her forehead absently and made Sakura notice the pink diamond resting precisely in the middle. Seeing the honey eyes narrowing, Sakura realized she hadn't answered the elder woman's question yet.

"Please forgive me," Sakura stammered, her throat feeling thick as her speech came out with difficulty. She was really intimidated by the woman. She held a powerful aura around her, of authority and discipline. For the first time in her life Sakura was lost with awe by another person that was of the same sex. She briefly wanted to be like her, minus the big bosom though since in her opinion it would only get in the way, have the strength and that feel around herself to be taken seriously. But quickly she dispelled the illusion of that ever happening and scrapped her throat.

"I'm resigning my duty as shinobi, Hokage-sama," Sakura answered. She noted that the stern look went away, replaced by confusion and a much softer look.

"Take a seat." She pointed to one of the chair in front of her desk. She laid down her pen where she had been writing with and gave full attention to the young girl now sitting before her.

"And why do you want to do that?" Tsunade questioned her, her tone not so harsh anymore.

"I believe I'm not cut out for the job and that the village would be better off if I simply choose another profession," Sakura answered truthfully. She twisted nervously around in her seat. The honey eyes bore a hole straight into her soul. It was as if she saw straight through her. She hoped she wouldn't ask the question why she would think that. She really didn't want to say that her team she had considered as a family dropped her like a brick.

The woman leaned back, her eyes looking skeptically at the fidgeting young girl in front of her. It was with no doubt this girl was lying. She didn't even dare to look her straight into the eyes. But what was more importantly, what had driven her so far or scared her that was she willing to quit? There was something intriguing about the girl.

"And why do you think you're not cut out for the job?" She noted her green eyes widened with shock before her eyes dulled sadness. Her reaction confirmed her earlier suspicious. Something was going on. This girl didn't want to stop. Something was driving her here to do this.

"I'm weak Hokage-sama," Sakura answered softly, her unease returning in fullness now she had answered the one question she wanted to avoid. It made her confront the one thing that had hurt the most. She started to kick her legs. Her eyes drifted down, looking at the floor. "My team mates are gone and even Sensei took off. If that doesn't tell you how weak I am, I don't know what does." The pink haired girl swallowed her tears, not wanting to cry in front of her to prove her statement.

To say the least, Tsunade was shocked. Never in her whole lifetime as shinobi had she heard or seen a genin rejected by her team mates. No wonder the girl wanted to quit.

"What's your name girl?" Tsunade asked. She wanted to look up some files, wondering why a team would push a member away like that.

" Haruno Sakura, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead once more. Her headache was getting worse and it was only the start of the day. She would play the girls game for now and let her resign. But she would get down to the bottom of this. "Give me your headband and sign these forms."

She opened the drawer on her left side and pulled out the forms she meant. She watched as the young girl stood up, placing the headband on her desk before grabbing the pen she held out for her. She quickly scribbled her name on the papers, before handing the both back at her.

"Well then, Haruno Sakura," Tsunade spoke, "You're no longer in active duty."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Sakura replied with politeness. She bowed shortly before turning on her heel.

Sakura opened the door to see a younger woman with short black hair just wanting to do the same. She smiled down at her, stepped back so she could pass before she entered the room she just left. She descended down the stairs slowly, the fact that she no longer was a kunoichi sinking in. It felt rather strange, like a hallow part had settled within her heart.

With her head bowed she didn't see the person just coming around the corner.

She collided with the person and she would have fallen if the person she walked into didn't catch her to break the fall. Sakura glanced up to see Kakashi looking back at her.

"In a rush Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi smiled at her, a teasing tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry Hatake-san," Sakura quickly murmured, bowed and moved passed him. Her heart raced with anxiety and fear. She didn't have the strength to talk with him much longer, she needed to get away and fast.

Kakashi was left surprised. Never had Sakura addressed him in such a way. He turned around, wanting to ask what that was all about.

"Sakura what-," he was interrupted by another man's shout. His gaze drifted from his student to the man shouting. He had dark hair and equally dark eyes. If he didn't know any better, he would say that man was an Uchiha.

"Sakura what took you so long, we only have 15 minutes left before Mr. Yumwagi expects us."

"Sorry Dad, I'm finished now." Without glancing back at Kakashi she ran up to the man who had started to walk away.

Scratching the back of his head confused he turned around to deliver his mission report. He knocked on the door three times before entering. Shizune nodded at Tsunade before leaving the room.

"Hatake, you're late," Tsunade barked at him.

"Ah you see, there was a black cat crossing my path and well I-,"

"Save your petty excuses for someone who does care. Now hand me the mission report."

Stepping further into the room he handed the report to the blonde woman. Realizing Sakura had visited the Hokage, he decided to ask what she was doing here.

"Tsunade-sama, I wondered why Sakura was here earlier. Did she do something wrong?"

The blonde shook her head and looked up from the scroll he'd given her. "No she didn't. Why? Do you know her?"

"I'm her appointed Sensei."

"Ah, well that explains one thing," Tsunade grunted.

"Huh? Explains what?" Kakashi asked confused.

"Nothing. Pretend I didn't say anything. It's between me and the girl." Tsunade folded up the scroll before grabbing another one and tossed it to Kakashi.

"New mission, I want you to infiltrate in Snow. Important people are getting abducted and found later dead. I want you find out what's going on out there and stop it. You are dismissed."

Without another word Kakashi exited the room. When Tsunade was done scanning his report Shizune walked back into the office.

"Here is the file you requested Tsunade-sama." She handed over the file and stood beside her.

"The girl is really interesting if I may say so myself, Tsunade-sama."

"How so?" She loosed the small rope and opened the file.

_Name: Haruno Sakura  
Parents: Haruno Hikaru, civilian. Benjiro Kaede, cilvilian  
Birth: 28__th__ March  
Skills: Abnormal chakra control, High IQ, photographic memory  
Genin Instuctor: Umino Iruka  
Genin Sensei: Hatake Kakashi  
Team members: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto  
Missions: 23D, 2C_

"Like you see, her chakra control is amazing. She could be a perfect medical ninja if she wanted."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. She flipped through some other papers, reading about her family history and their rather loathing towards Shinobi. '_So it wasn't only that, that was pushing her to end her career_,' Tsunade thought. It was rather a shame such a girl had quit. Like Shizune had said, this girl held great potential. If train correctly she could be one hell of an asset to the village. So why did Hatake brush this girl off?

"Shizune, I want to test this girl."

"What do you mean Tsunade?" Shizune asked confused.

"I want to see just how good her control is. If it's good as it is, then we have a future medic Nin in our hands." Tsunade closed the file, a small smile appearing on her face. It everything worked out in her favor, she would have a new apprentice in her hands.

"Find out where she is and test her, I want to figure this out as soon as possible."

_**To be continued…**_


	3. field trip

**A/N:** Thank you all for the reviews, it really cheered me up to know you all took time to give feedback on my work. Special thanks to Mateba and TMB.

hawaiianpride808: I'm glad you liked it, while you don't have to wait two months this time, new chapter is up and about ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 3:**

It was rather noisy in the bar that evening. Kakashi sighed as he turned another page, ignoring the drink Anko had placed before him in attempt to get him drunk. Judging from the smell coming from the glass she had given him A.M.F. aka, 'Adios Motherfucker'. He knew how the drink was made and the amount of alcohol contained in that drink took even the most experienced drinkers under the table after a glass. So he definitely wasn't touching that drink at all.

The topics thrown over the table by his friends didn't hold any of his interest, so he kept reading his book giving a small grunt of acknowledgement if they asked him something. His hand paused in turning over the next page when he felt a feminine hand touching his inner thigh. Turning his visible eye to his left he noticed the drunken blush on Anko's cheeks. The moment their eyes locked, Anko shot him a look full of lust, her tongue running over her lips as she leaned even further to his side, her torso now plastered against his left arm. The hand that was touching his inner thigh squeezed before running up even higher.

With a sigh of annoyance he pushed her hand away, not interested in her advances. He had heard stories about her wild sex life, and even though he wasn't a sweetheart himself between the sheets, her wild antics were too much even for his taste. Anko moved away, sitting straight again in her spot, well as straight as she could in her condition. Turning back to his book and ignoring the further advances Anko tried on him he hoped that the night would end soon. He was only here because Asuma had made him come, dragging him from his favorite reading spot. It wasn't that he didn't like hanging out with his friends, but pausing in his reading to again push away the hand of Anko from his thigh was getting irritating.

"You must be proud to know Shikamaru made chuunin. The very first of their generation," Kurenai said.

Asuma shrugged, gulping down his sake before filling the cup again with one of the sake bottles standing on their table. "I knew the kid had it in him. I had no doubt he would make it."

"Hmm, I just hope that Hinata will be okay. She was crushed when she heard Naruto was leaving the village for three years, but something good came out of it I guess. She's working so hard to prove herself and make herself stronger to support Naruto when he comes back."

"I still don't know what the girl sees in that knucklehead," Anko slurred. "I guess what they say about love is true. It makes you blind."

"Don't be so rude Anko," Kurenai chided. "Naruto is a nice guy, and considering his past is a miracle he didn't turn out as a coldhearted kid like Sasuke."

"Speaking of your students Kakashi," Asuma suddenly spoke up, "Did Sakura find you yesterday? She was waiting by the bridge for you, you know."

"I was on a mission."

"So did you send the girl a message at all that you were gone?" Kurenai said indignant. "The poor girl must have waited there for hours, waiting for you to show up."

Scratching his chin, he tried to remember if he had done that. When his mind came up blank, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "I might have forgotten it." Immediately he made a mental note to send Sakura a message this time that he would be gone for several months.

"You're hopeless Hatake," Asuma sighed. "But I wonder from who she learned it then."

"What do you mean?"

"She was standing on the water under the bridge as if she was simply walking on grounds. And the water wasn't calm at all. I was really impressed, for a girl that age."

"Well she does have really good chakra control," Kakashi mused. Now that he thought about it, she had the new record. It took him three tries before he got up the tree and even Itachi had taken four tries. She did it in one go and that was quite a feat. "She walked up the tree in one go."

Genma who had been drinking, spat out the drink, coughing heavily while looking at Kakashi with wide eyes. The whole table looked at him with shock. "Dude, are you serious? No one ever accomplished that!"

"I know, the record had my name before she took it," he shrugged. Kakashi hid himself behind the book when an awkward silence fell over the table, all eyes still resting on him. Back then he hadn't really thought about it that much, but now that he really looked back at it, he should have done something when he saw her talent.

He hated to admit it but he had done a poor job working on her skills. It wasn't that he didn't like her, but he couldn't really connect with the girl like he had done with the boys. Okay, connected with Sasuke. But he was honoring his best friend Obito when he focused on Sasuke's training. He was after all the only one that could teach him how to use the sharingan.

A loud cheer behind him brought him from his thoughts. He shifted in seat, positioning himself so that he could hear better what was going on behind him. Also if he would move his book just right, he could look over without causing any suspicious on their table or his own. A voice that sometimes spoke was familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on where he had heard it before. He didn't have to wait long, the group continued to party, and not much later his name was dropped.

"Haruno, go get us some more drinks will you? It's you after all that called us together!" A man shouted with glee. The substance of his glass splashed over his hand as he waved wildly, a drunken grin plastered on his face.

The dark haired man he saw earlier this day stood up, but unlike the cold, chagrin face he had seen in the morning, this time he was smiling. It was the same smile Sakura smiled when she was truly happy about something. The empty glass in his hand was lowered to the table before waving with his free hands to hush down the cheers of his companions.

"Well I do have something to celebrate," the man grinned. He waved over to the waitress, signaling another round. His gesture was met with louder cheers. When all of their glasses had been filled again, Sakura's father lifted his glass.

"To my precious baby girl! That she never stray from the rightful path ever again!" He shouted.

"To Sakura!" his friends joined in. After the dark haired man downed his drink he grabbed his coat, throwing it over his arm as he slowly began to move towards the exit.

"Going so soon Hikaru?" One of his friends called after him.

Hikaru nodded. "Yes, me and Sakura are leaving tomorrow on a business trip to Water country. We need to leave early if we want to do some good business."

"Have fun with your daughter then," the man replied.

Hikaru nodded, waved his friends and colleagues goodbye before he exited the bar. Kakashi who had heard enough returned to his normal sitting position, his mind trying to process what he had just heard, but there was one thing Kakashi was sure of. Something had happened today between Sakura and their fifth Hokage. Something that made Sakura's father go out and celebrate. It couldn't have been that she got promoted to chuunin, otherwise he would have heard so himself, not to mention that the Haruno family was well known for their dislike of shinobi. His eyes widened when he linked everything together.

It couldn't be that his female student had quit her way right? He shook his head in disbelief. No, Sakura would never do that, he told himself. Sakura loved her life as a kunoichi, she told him so herself. And yet the nagging feeling of guilt didn't leave him. With a sigh he closed his book and stood up. For the first time he regretted that he needed to go away on a mission tomorrow, because now he didn't have time to figure out what was going on with his last student back here in the village. As he walked down the road, back to his apartment, he made a mental note that the moment he would return from his mission, he would figure out what the hell was going on with Sakura. Not to mention set up a training plan to put her skills in chakra control in good use.

**xXx**

As her mother hugged her goodbye, Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly curious about what was going to happen. Her father always came back with stories about his travels and adventures, and this time they would make one together. It might not be as nerve breaking adventures she had gone through with her shinobi life style, but she at least got some action.

She sat down on the high edge of the wagon, carrying all the goods her father was going to sell there. Their two black horses, Hayase and Kanae, were standing in front of her, ready to pull forth the wagon when given the signal. Her father was kissing her mothering goodbye, mumbling something into her ear before one last kiss was given. Then he turned around, took his place next to his daughter and took the reins.

"Bye mom!" Sakura waved as they took off.

Their journey would be long. It would at least take one day and a half to reach their destination. They would stay there for three days before they would pack up and go back home. Just in time for Sakura to go to her new school the day after.

Sakura and her father didn't talk much in the beginning, an awkward silence hanging around them. Her father had his attention locked on the road whilst Sakura was fidgeting with her shirt. She felt his eyes upon her briefly and thought he was going to start a conversation, but as brief as the moment was, he went back to the road, still nothing said between the two.

At midday they reached the first little town in their schedule. Sakura was sent away to the inn to get two rooms for tonight while her father went straight to the market to set up his stall.

Jumping off the riding cart, Sakura started to walk a little back to the inn they had seen a few minutes ago. The money pouch her father gave her, was tied against her belt and with every step she made, she could feel it bounce against her thigh.

As she mindlessly wondered through the streets to the inn, she wondered if this little trip would bring her closer to her family. Even if this wasn't a profession she was thrilled about, at least her parents approved of this one. She hated it back then that she was ignored and frowned upon by her parents, but now that she was doing their will, well more like her fathers, she got a lot more affection than she did when she was younger. So at least something good came out of it, not to mention that travelling in this profession was always a big plus. One thing she had enjoyed immensely from being an Kunoichi of Leaf.

A sudden tug at her belt, forced her back in reality her eyes snapping to the right to see a young kid run off with her father's money pouch. The next moment she was in pursuit. Careful not to bump into people, dodging stray animals and carts she was slightly at awe just how fast the little boy was. Even with her speed she hadn't caught up to him. Having enough of this silly chase, she fuelled chakra into her legs, her speed becoming even faster.

The child went around the corner and as Sakura followed him, she saw it littered with trashcans. She couldn't hear any footsteps echoing through this alley, and knew the child was in hiding.

"Come out kid, I'm not angry," Sakura called out. "Just give me back my money pouch and we'll act like nothing happened." Her act of kindness was met with silence.

With an annoying sigh, Sakura stepped into the alley further, careful not to pass any trashcans where he could hide in. She could wait until the child thought she had given up and came out of hiding, but that probably would take too long. Her father was waiting for her after all. Maybe if she used her chakra to signal him out. She heard Iruka-sensei talking about it once. Slowly she let her chakra search around in the alley, her eyes closed in concentration. When it came to the second to last trashcan she could finally feel some live force blocking her way.

With a smile she opened her eyes, moving towards the spot where she had felt the child. Lifting the lid, she could see a pair of big, innocent blue eyes look up at her. His cheeks were smooched with dirt, the same went for his clothes. Sakura was surprised to see he didn't even have shoes. His small arms were encircling the money pouch he had stolen from her, his lower lip trembling as their eyes met yet again.

"I believe you have something of mine," Sakura said kindly. The child lowered his head in shame, his grip on the pouch loosened enough for Sakura to pull it out of his hands. She bound it back on her belt, this time even adding a little bit of chakra to make sure it didn't get yanked off again without her permission.

Her eyes shifted back to the boy and she could see tear drops slowly sliding down his cheeks. Her heart filled with sympathy even if he had just robbed her. She lifted the child out of the trash can and whipped the dirt off of him.

"No reason to cry," Sakura said softly. "No one got hurt."

The child sniffed, rubbing his chubby arm over his nose as his blue eyes looked up at her. "I'm sowy, but I needed to get your attention."

A pink elegant eyebrow rose in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You look like one of the big peoples that run over the rooftops. I need your help."

Sakura blinked, surprised that the child thought that she was a shinobi. '_So much for letting that go,_' Sakura thought sighing.

Before she knew it, the child gripped her hand and yanked her further into the alley. They stopped when they were in the middle of an old square. It was surrounded by flats, one big tree standing in one of the corners was the only thing there besides the old decayed lamppost. The beautiful black color that once adored the piece of metal was mostly rusted off. It looked like it was going to collapse any minute.

Her eyes shifted to the boy with confusion, wondering why he brought her here when a small 'meow' gave her the answer. Looking better at the lamppost, she could see a young kitten on top. His black tail with a white tuff in the end dangling over the lamp as if signaling Sakura that she was there.

"Could you please get her down?" The boy asked. "The lamppost is going to collapse any moment and Shira might get hurt." Another tear rolled down his cheek.

"Alright, but step back," Sakura warned. The child nodded, moving a couple of steps back.

Eyeing the lamppost she tried to find the best spot to run up and grab the kitten. No matter how she turned around the piece of metal, there was always a high risk that it would collapse the moment she would walk on it. Maybe if she treated it like standing on water, shifting around with the amount of chakra as she walked, then it could work.

Nodding her head in agreement, she walked up, the metal pole groaning from her weight but still stable enough for Sakura to continue. Moving with absolute concentration, her chakra concentrated in her feet changing rapidly to keep her steady, she moved up the pole without much problem. When she reached the top, she opened her arms for the young kitten, which immediately jumped when it got the chance. Smiling at the cute ball of fur now in her hands, she scratched it affectionately behind the ear.

Now that the kitten was saved, she jumped down, landing on the ground without making any sound at all. The child shrieked happily, running up to Sakura and taking over the kitten when Sakura handed it over.

"There, but no more stealing young man," Sakura said a bit stern. "Stealing is wrong. If you needed my help, you could have simply asked."

"Sowy," The child bowed his head.

Sakura smiled and ruffled his hair much like Kakashi had done with her when she was about to burst into tears.

"Well nothing bad happened, and your kitten is safe. Now I really need to go, but I mean it. No more stealing."

"Okay! Thank you miss!" He ran up to her and hugged her leg, not tall enough to do anything much else.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, but as soon the pressure of the child against her leg came, it was gone. The child running away back to the busier streets in the city. Sakura chuckled, her head shaking softly as she walked back towards the inn to get her and her father a room for tonight.

As she headed back into the busier streets, the young child she had helped was now on the rooftop. His blue eyes followed her before she went out of view. Then the young child vanished, and in the same spot a woman with short black hair stood in place.

A small smile adored her lips as she pulled a report file forward. She began to write, her handwriting shift but neat. When she was done she closed the report and placed it back in her backpack. The next thing she grabbed out of the pack was a small piece of paper.

_Test 1: failed/ passed  
Test 2: failed/passed  
Test 3: failed/passed_

With a smile, Shizune encircled passed by the first test. With that done, she slit the piece of paper back into her pouch and took off into the direction Sakura had walked off.

_**To be continued…**_


	4. bonding

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad you all enjoy this story so much. Sorry for the long wait but here is the next chapter than finally.

Melody: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story so much. I'm trying my best to do something different and to keep them in char. I hope I succeeded so far :).

Angel1897: Thanks for the review and I'll take your ideas into consideration. some parts of your reply made me rethink some things of the plot and I thank you for it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. I own my OC's that's all.

**Chapter 4: **

With the sleeping arrangements taken care of, Sakura hastened herself back to her father. The episode with the young child had taken up much of her time and she feared that her father would be angry when she finally reached his stall.

Reaching the market place, she tried to find her father between the human mass. It was overly crowded by so many people, Sakura couldn't even see the stands they were standing for. Shouts of the sellers could be heard over the loud chattering of their costumers, some even leaning forward to hear their requests.

Worming herself through the people, she found her father's stall quickly. Hayase and Kanae standing behind the stall was a dead giveaway. Hikaru nodded his acknowledgement and wordlessly pointed to his pack where he'd pulled the money pouch earlier from. Just like her father always told her, his products were a big hit. There were so many people surrounding them, it amazed her that her father could hear all of their requests and knew which one had said it.

She wanted to help him out, but the way he moved like an oiled machine, she would only get in the way. She sat down on their wagon, her eyes resting on her father as she continued watching him work. His movements were fluent, not hanging around a costumer too long to lose other clients, but not too short either, giving them a feeling that they meant something to him.

He reminded her of Kakashi. He always knew what he was doing, always having a calm demeanor and knew how to act around people to get them to trust him. His movements were always well calculated, no more moves made than it was absolutely necessarily.

Just like her father it seemed. He made some of the costumers laugh, knew what to say to them to get them to buy the product. She already lost count how many costumers waved the change off when they paid him too much. The nods, the small chitchats and the smile on his face worked like a charm. Sakura never really thought much over her fathers profession, but seeing him at work, she began to admire him in a whole different way than she always had.

When the wave of costumers went away, leaving her father alone to get a moment to regain his breath, Sakura slowly started to clap. Her father turned around surprised, but smiled at seeing his only child cheer for him.

"That was completely awesome dad. I never have seen you move so fast," Sakura smiled. "Besides when mother asks you to do the laundry, then you seem to disappear like air!"

"Don't tease your father young lady," her father chided, but a smile remained on his face. "Not bad for an old man like me huh? I can teach you a thing or two. Now come here and help me out, the tips we've gotten is almost floating over my pockets."

Sakura jumped down from their cart, running off to help her father. He was in a much happier mood than he had been earlier this day, plus he hadn't mentioned her rather lateness of her arrival. Maybe he shrugged it off as her losing her way or couldn't find him within the grounds. Either way, Sakura didn't mind.

Now that most costumers had gone, Hikaru had the time to teach Sakura the profession. He let her handle the costumers that now came to the stand, sitting much in the same position like she'd done earlier. Every now and then he would give her a few tips, guiding her through the steps when she needed it. Quickly Sakura caught on to the point her father took off to get them some lunch, leaving their stall under Sakura's charge.

The day went on without much trouble. Even if this wasn't what Sakura wanted to do, while working with her father side by side, she was having a great time. When their stocks attended for this village was gone, they packed up their space and moved back towards the inn.

The next day they reached Wajima late in the afternoon. It was the second largest city in Water country, the hidden Waterfall village being the largest. This huge, prosperous city beside the open sea is best known by their harbor, the millions famous or well known fishermen's boats that lay on dock and the best fish you could get. The majority of the inhabitants were in that aspect either fishermen or traders. Besides the big harbor, the village was noteworthy for its lush public gardens, the most beautiful ones or so they claimed.

Sakura looked around, her mouth slight agape as she stared in awe at the large city. It was easily just as large as Konoha, maybe even bigger. The houses were tall but average in width. You could clearly see that this city held many wealthy citizens.

The market was already breaking down, so they settled in the inn in the coast side of Wajima where they would stay for the upcoming two days. Hayase and Kanae were put in the stables, fresh hay and water placed before them. Sakura stayed with them, brushing their manes and fur while her father would settle their sleeping arrangements.

When she was done taking care with the two black horses, she carried their supplies up, following an employee to the rooms her dad ordered.

"Have a nice stay young Miss," the man bowed to her after opening the door. Sakura thanked him, watching him go before entering the room. Her eyes widened in surprise at how large the room was. The large sized bed was resting in the middle, one large closet at the other side of the room. A big screen was on the opposite side of her bed, the remote resting on the smaller closet below. In there she could see the silvery through the glass, even a set of small dvd's were neatly packed on one of the planks. Further there were two doors. One probably leading to the bathroom and the other door to her fathers room.

But what caught her eye the most was the balcony. Throwing the brushes she carried on the bed, she ran outside, her hands now resting on the stone ridge as she stared at the view. From the point she was standing she could overlook the whole city if she looked to the right, but if she turned her head left she could see the open sea and the famous harbor and the beach. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. The fresh aroma of the sea entered her, making her smile in delight.

"So you discovered the view also huh?" Came a mocking reply from behind her.

Sakura jumped, startled but the sudden entrance of her father. She twirled around, her face flushed red of embarrassment. Hikaru had his arms crossed, his form leaning against the door post as he smirked at his daughter.

"It's beautiful."

Hikaru stared at his daughter for a bit longer before he nodded in agreement. "It sure is. Come on, let's get some dinner." Her father turned away, moving to his own room to grab his coat and wallet.

They went to Lotus Room, a restaurant known for their exotic food. The floor was set out with marble tiles, a grand aquarium was placed in the middle. Sakura even began to feel a bit under dressed as she stared at the place. Her father didn't seem to care and neither did the host as his brilliant grey eyes widened with surprise behind his glasses when Hikaru appeared in his view. He stepped away from his counter, a smile settling on his face as he walked towards her father with opened arms.

"Hikaru-san what a pleasant surprise!" The man greeted. He briefly hugged her father, who simply nodded at the man, not returning the hug or even making the move to do so.

Sakura eyed the two of them warily. Her father seemed unaffected, bored even. But with the unknown man, he brightened up when he noticed her father. She tensed when the slightly taller man turned towards her. His grey eyes studied her for a minute before clapping his hands together. His light brown hair slid over his shoulder as he kneeled down to her height.

"And who may this charming young lady be?" He smiled. He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. Before Sakura even had the change to answer, the man released her and straightened his stance. "Your daughter I presume? She's a splitting image of your mother, except the eyes. The eyes are from Kaede-san."

Her father remained silent. Only a short nod was the answer he gave. The man pushed the glasses back on its place with the tip of his index finger. The smile he gave was soft. "Enough with the talk, I shall escort you to your table."

The man led them through the restaurant, up the chic stairs to what seemed the more vip arrangements. They got a seat that overlooked the restaurant. Her father's friend pulled the chair back for Sakura, helping her seated before he bowed, excusing himself and went back to work.

The moment the man was out of hearing distance Sakura started to talk. "Who was that man?"

Hikaru sighed, his dark eyes following Miku as he descended the stairs before resting his eyes on his daughter. Waves of curiosity and confusion rolled off of her. Just like her mother, she was curious little thing. "He was an old friend back at high school. He dated your mother for awhile before she realized she liked me instead of him." Her father sighed, sipping from his glass filled with water before he continued. "For awhile he accused me of betraying him. Several years of no communication I met him again. This time he was broken, a common thief on the street and living day by day. I patched him up and got him back on his feet. I helped him setting up this restaurant."

Sakura listened with awe, her green eyes going from her father to the man that could have been her father if her mother didn't go after her father. It was strange how life could sometimes twist into weird angles. It showed you that even though you think you have if figured out it can still throw you off balance. Like her father once said, expect the unexpected.

After dinner and her father saying goodbye to this old friend Miku, he gave Sakura small surprise when he didn't walk straight back to the hotel. Instead he continued on, moving to the beach as Sakura trotted after him. The sunset had already began, creating a beautiful mix of orange, pink and blue in the sky as the sun slowly sunk into the sea.

Hikaru stopped momentarily, taking off his shoes when they reached the sand. But unlike last time he waited patiently until Sakura was done, letting her walk at his side instead of behind him. The pair kept walking for awhile.

They talked, they laughed and for the first time Sakura felt she was bonding with her father. Something she had never done before and decided she liked it. Maybe to the outsiders her dad looked like a grumpy, stoic man. Sakura herself had thought so long ago. But now she finally got to see another side of him. Probably the side that made her mother fall in love with him in the first place. It made her see her father in a total different way.

**xXx**

The next day Sakura helped her father setting up the stall. The air between her and her father was now way better than at the beginning of their little trip. They chatted a little while they were working and sometimes even an affectionate pat on the shoulder or a hand going through her hair. It made Sakura happier than she had been in the past few days. When the waves of costumers got a bit thinner Sakura was allowed on a small break. She sat down on the edge of their cart, nibbling on a sandwich her father had made back at the hotel. Just like in the last town they had visited, her father's goods were popular. The people came to them in waves, drawn to it as bees were attracted to honey.

When she pushed the last bit of the bread in her mouth, Sakura jumped off the cart, wiping her hands off with her pants and ready to help her father again. Her father on the other hand, had other plans in mind.

"Sakura, back in my pack there is another package, a note is attached covering paper." Sakura grabbed the pack her father was talking about, zipping it open to reveal the brown package with the note her father was talking about. Hikaru glanced backwards to her, seeing that his daughter had found the object he was talking about.

"Good, now on the note you see an address, go deliver that package for me. Don't worry, it's already paid off."

Doing as her father instructed she took the package out of her father pack, placed it back against the cartwheel before checking the address where it was needed to be delivered. The address was close to the harbor she noticed.

"I'll be back in a bit Dad," Sakura called over her shoulder as she walked away. She didn't know if he heard her or not through all the noise and chatter from their costumers since no reply was shouted back to her, well not that she had heard.

With a quick strive she walked through the streets, her eyes not dwelling and other stalls or plants she met on the way. She could do that later. For now she just wanted to drop of the package her father entrusted her with and be back as soon as possible so he could eat his lunch. Not to mention that the sky was turning darker with every step she made. It made her wonder just when the hell would break loose up there. The wind continued to blow with force as she arrived.

The old home was creaking in the wind, and with another rather powerful gust of wind she was afraid that it would fall apart any moment now. As she inspected the wood better, she noticed with shock that it was rotten. No wonder the house wasn't stable anymore. Now determined to get those people out of their house for their own safety she knocked on the doors three times, careful not to hit too hard before she would go straight through it.

A few moments later she could hear child's footsteps stomping down the stairs, the front door opened minutes after. Her eyes trailed down, her mouth already opening to deliver the speech. But as she watched the kid better she knew that she knew the kid.

"You," Sakura gasped out, forgetting momentarily why she was even there.

"Ohayo Miss!" The young boy smiled, opening the door further as he saw a familiar face. "You have the package my mother ordered?"

Sakura nodded numbly, handing the package over as she watched the kid wild mild curiosity. "Do you live here?" She asked after a short moment of silence.

The child nodded, his smile brightening before the look turned grim. "Yes, I arrived just this morning. Mother had ordered this delivery yesterday and told me with a note to stay home to wait for it to be delivered.

Sakura nodded in understanding. "Where is she now? The storm will start any moment now, and this house isn't safe to stay in."

The young boy shrugged his eyes saddening even more. "Mother is already on her job. She won't come home till tomorrow morning. But it's okay, I'm used to it. Besides, I'm a big boy. I can fend for myself."

Sakura smiled, ruffling his hair like she did a few days ago when they first met. "I don't doubt you for a bit. But you really need to get out of there, it's not safe."

"It will be fine, the house survived many storms so this one would add just one more on that list. Thank you for the concern though Miss, it's really sweet." With that the young boy bowed before closing the door rather rapidly.

Sakura stared at the door. A bit startled at the interrupt ending of their little chat. Slowly she turned around, walking out of the front garden and making her way back to her father. But just like she predicted, the storm broke loose when she was half way there. Her heart clenched with worry over the small boy. One part of her said she needed to let go. It wasn't any concern for her if the child was safe or not. She did her job with delivering, it was up to the boy if he would take her words seriously. But another part screamed at her to turn back. To check out if the child was safe like she hoped or help him might he need it.

Torn in half, Sakura bit her bottom lip with worry. If she go back now her father would surely expect something was wrong. Or, if she was lucky, he would think she was just sheltering against the storm. Either way if she would go back she would return later than planned. Knowing that she couldn't live with the guilt, she turned around sharply on her heels, running back towards the harbor to see if the boy was unharmed and offer him her bed in the hotel for the night. She would worry about her father later how he would react to the matter.

As she reached the house of the young child her worst fear came to life. A part of the house had already collapsed. Her eyes widened with shock before she gritted her teeth in anger. Why didn't the boy just listen. Channeling chakra into her feet she ran through the whole that was created by the wall that had collapsed. She took in a breath of air, ready to yell the boys name when she stopped. She didn't even know the kid's name. She was risking her life for a mere stranger.

'_Not a stranger. We've met before. I saved the kid's pet.'_ Another hard gust of wind took her out of her thoughts, refocused at the task of hand. The rest of the house was ready to fall apart any moment now. She and the kid needed to get out and fast before that happens. First she searched the lower grounds but no child was left to find. As she ran into the hallway, another part of the roof collapsed, making Sakura scream and fall to her knees as she lifted her arms up to protect her head. Cold rain drops soon landed on her and as she lifted the arms from her head, she could see a large part of the roof was ripped away whilst a large chunk of the left wall had fallen. The stairs that led to the next floor was now broken, the weight and the force of the fragments falling on the stairs torn it to shreds.

'_How the hell do I get up there?_' Sakura thought irritated. The storm was getting heavier with the minute so the time was running low. She could run up the wall like she had down with the old pole, but when she would carry that kid they were way too heavy for the wall to hold the two of them.

"I'll worry about that later," Sakura grumbled to herself. Just as quick and swift she had done it days ago on the ancient latern, she now walked up the wall to the landing. When she was almost there, the wall gave a final grunt before failing her. Her eyes widened with fright, her eyes big as she fell the solid wall crumble beneath her chakra infused feet. With a quick jump to the landing, her hand snatched the side as she now dangled above the wooden spikes of the stairs. Gulping loudly she reached out with her other hand, trying to lift herself up and continue her search. Just when she had a good grip, the chunk of wood broke through, leaving her once again dangling with one hand keeping her from her fall. A loud scream erupted from her mouth as she noticed the bits and pieces of wood fall down.

A cold but small hand touched hers. Her green eyes lifted up to see the young boy she had been looking for stare back at her. "What are you doing?"

"Coming to find you. I told you it wouldn't be safe!" Sakura yelled outraged. But she couldn't stay mad for long. The sad but frightened look in his eyes made her forget it all. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of here."

The boy nodded, his demeanor calm even though his eyes told her otherwise. Putting the package aside, he tried to help Sakura on the landing. "I can't lift you up, you're too heavy!"

'_There must be another way,_' Sakura thought desperately. The cold raindrops falling on her made her even colder than she already felt, making it hard for her to hold on for much longer. '_Think Sakura think. Iruka-sensei had said something about one hand seals that could be as much as effective as two hand seals. You just need the chakra control to send to right amount at the right time otherwise it won't work. But which jutsu do I need to use?' _Sakura forcefully closed her eyes, cracking her brains to think of something.

A mental image appeared in her head then. If was of her and her teammates waiting for Kakashi-sensei to show up. And when he did, he teleported away just as quick as Naruto threw Sasuke's shadow windmill at him because of his lateness he missed happy hour at Ichiraku's. Her eyes snapped back open as the flashback faded into the back of her mind. She knew now what she needed to do. It was going to be a high risk. She never teleported herself before. And now the very first time she would take a person with her.

No. She couldn't doubt herself now. That young child needed her. If she doubted herself now, the whole plan won't work. Taking a calm breath she snapped her now determent gaze to the boy. "Do you trust me?"

The kid blinked, his innocent blue eyes staring at her with wonder before he nodded. "Yes."

"Good. When I tell you to jump, you're going to jump." The boys eyes widened with shock, hearing what she just asked of him. His mouth opened to disagree but another hard groan of the landing they were standing on was a sign that it wouldn't hold for much longer. With fearful gaze he nodded again, is hand fidgeting with the package in his hands as he looked at her in doubt.

"Jump!" Sakura saw the boy closing his eyes as he jumped. The moment he fell past her she let go of the railing, snatching her now free hand around the boy's wrist as they both fell down. Her other hand came up, summoning the right amount of chakra that hopefully was enough to teleport them both whilst forming the one hand seal required for the jutsu she was about to use.

"Teleportation jutsu!" She called out. She closed her eyes on her own, afraid what to feel if they would touch the ground. But unlike the wooden spikes she had dangled over they fell on the streets, the place where she imaged them to be. The air was pushed out of her longs as she landed on the hard concrete. She gaped for air but noticed with satisfaction that the child was lying on top of her. Unharmed.

"That…that," the boy stood up shaking, his legs trembling as he tried to regain his balance. His face turned towards her, and unexpected grin plastered on his face. "That was awesome!" He shrieked out.

With a groan Sakura let her head fall back on the road, rolling her eyes at the kid's antics. But she couldn't help but smile herself. It was the first time she ever used one hand seals and teleportation. Not to mention she took another living being with her. "Just please, don't get into more trouble," Sakura panted slightly. "I can't always be there to save you."

The child nodded, sat down in her lap as he threw his chubby arms around her for a hug. "Thank you so much." Sakura smiled, standing up and looking around to see if people already noticed the now fully collapsed house.

"I'm going to my mom's now, I think she would want to know what happened to our home," the child chuckled. Even with all this drama, he still found humor in the situation.

"Do you want me to come with you?" the child shook his head.

"No. Mama doesn't like strangers. But thanks." With a quick peck on the cheek the child raced off, just like before.

Sakura shook her head, but smiled as she watched the child go. She could still feel his small lips on her cheek. She hated it to admit it. But that was another reason why she became a shinobi, to help other people that needed her help. A pang of sadness wafted over her as she stood up. Knowing that after this little adventure such things wouldn't happen anymore. She probably would forget how to use the chakra at the point she would be done with school. Sighing Sakura stood up, not bothering to dust herself up before walking back towards the hotel. In this poor weather her father probably would have cleaned up already.

Shizune entered the bar, ordering a cup of tea as she opened the file she had written in earlier. Sakura had really surprised her today. No one at such a young age accomplished to pull a two hand seal jutsu with one hand. Not to mention she took her with her in the jutsu. That was an incredible feat. As she wrote down her observing and discoveries she couldn't wait to see how Sakura would react to her final test.

_**To be continued…**_


	5. unexpected offer

**A/N:** Well a much faster update than before, so I can pet my back for that. Thanks to all the reviews, I really appreciate them.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, I only own my OC's

**Chapter 5:**

The hotel she and her father stayed in came into view. She swallowed the heavy feeling that started to settle in her throat, her fingers twitching. She had walked all the way back to the hotel in the pouring rain. Her hair was plastered against her face, her clothes soaked and with every step she could hear the wet squelch of her sodden shoes and socks being squeezed together.

As she entered the lobby, she ignored the receptionist's concerned gaze. She could feel his gaze following her all the way to the elevators. She pushed the small button and stepped a bit backwards, her hand hung low as she waited. She resisted the urge to shiver, and wrinkled her nose to prevent a sneeze. It would be a very bad ending to this little trip if she would get sick now. A headache was already beginning to form and she hoped that if she just showered, take an aspirin and jump into bed, that everything would be okay.

She heard the soft muttering of the old janitor as she stepped into the elevator. She could see the grumpy man push a bucket further with his feet, a mop in his hand as the doors closed. Sure it had been her muddy footprints the man needed to clean up, but now she simply didn't have the energy to feel guilty about that. The jutsu she had pulled off had taken a lot more than she expected. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she could feel the exhaustion creeping up her bones. With a sigh she closed her eyes, waiting to reach the floor where they stayed at.

When the doors opened once again however, she didn't expect to see her father standing in front of the opening. He had his raincoat on instead of the normal jacket he had been wearing. The sandals that he wore had been tossed aside and had made way for the large boots that now hugged and protected his feet. His face stood stoic as he stepped inside. But when his dark eyes fell upon his daughter, Sakura could see the emotions rushing through them a lot easier than before. The worry was pushed aside by surprise and relief, then came anger before it changed to normal.

He took her by the shoulder, his grip tighter than he had ever used with her. Sakura feared that it was going to leave a bruise. Instead of telling her father that he was hurting her, she kept her mouth shut, letting herself being dragged back into their room. The silence between the two was heartbreaking, and she feared that the small connection she had felt only yesterday had gone.

The door ticket was pushed through the slot, the red light turning green momentarily. He pushed down the handle, opening the door and throwing it closed with more force than needed when they were inside. He finally released her from his grip but Sakura didn't move away. Instead she lowered her head, looking at her father's boots as she waited for the harsh words to come, that would be followed by either punishment or the silent treatment. Maybe even both.

Sakura flinched when she heard his clothes ruffle and it didn't go unnoticed by her father. He pulled out his raincoat, throwing it on his bed before he once again regarded his daughter. It irritated him that she didn't dare to look him in the eye. That she thought he was going to punish her for something she didn't even had control over. It gave a sign of weakness, the one thing he hated maybe even more than he hated shinobis.

He had ordered her to deliver the package. She did just what he'd asked her to do without question. It wasn't her fault that a storm came up. They came and vanished as they wished. He packed up his stuff and went back to the hotel they'd been staying in. He knew for sure that his daughter wouldn't be as stupid to go back to the market in this poor weather. No sane mind would think a market would continue on. He stabled his two horses and placed the goods away. But to hear from the people walking in the lobby that a house had collapsed near the harbor, made his heart leap into his throat. He swung around and moved to the couple he overheard. He urgently asked if they knew the address, and when he heard it was the home he had sent Sakura to, his blood chilled in his veins. He raced upstairs, changing his clothes that would protect him better before running as if the devil chased him towards the elevator. He had already lost a son, Matsuo. He didn't want to lose his last child. Not when they finally seemed to bond.

To see her in the elevator unharmed only soaked to the bone made him feel things he hadn't felt before. He was relieved that she wasn't harmed but angry that it took her so damn long to get back. If only. He sighed, running his hand through his raven black hair. No, nothing was her fault. He always had a temper he wasn't proud of, and his daughter didn't deserve it at this moment.

"What are you still doing in those wet clothes?" Hikaru snapped, an irritated edge in his tone. "Do you want to get sick?"

"No daddy," Sakura softly, barely hearable. She quickly stumbled away to her own room, her back stiff with tension. Hikaru sighed, looking the other way when the door was closed. He didn't mean to snap at her. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he went after her. Her green eyes looked at him surprised and he noticed a shiver running down her spine. Now that he looked at her, he could see her flushed skin.

He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing when he noticed Sakura cower in front of him. He pushed his hand against her forehead. It was warmer than it supposed to be. Before he could retreat his hand, Sakura stepped backwards, her head bowed.

"I'm sorry Daddy, I'm so sorry." He could see a tear falling down onto the carpet. "I'm not sick I promise! I won't be a burden."

Without a word he embraced Sakura in a hug, running his hand through her hair as he slowly coaxed her into calmness. "Shh, it isn't your fault Sakura. You didn't do a rain dance, did you? Now dry your tears. There's nothing to cry about."

He wiped away her tears, and pushed her into the bathroom. "Go on, take a shower. I'll go make some soup for you." Sakura nodded meekly and closed the door to start the shower.

By the time she returned, Hikaru had placed a bowl of soup next to her bed. Under his watchful gaze, Sakura had eaten the soup, only stopping when Hikaru was satisfied enough. She was tucked into bed, a glass of water and an aspirin giving to her before she laid down. She closed her eyes as she felt the soft lips of her father touch her forehead.

"Sleep well, sweatheart." Sakura smiled and answered back with, "You too, Daddy," before slumbering off. Hikaru smiled ,switching off the light and taking the empty bowl with him. He kept the door slightly ajar, so if Sakura would have any trouble, he could hear it.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he sighed tiredly. This whole day turned to be a day where he was thrown into memory lane. His gaze hardened as his grip tightened on the bowl he was holding. It was the reason why he was glad Sakura finally stopped pursuing her dream to become a shinobi. Matsuo had been the same. Always dreaming to become a great fighter one day. It was around the time they lived in the waterfall village. Not having the heart to say no, he let his son go his way. He even helped him train in any ways he could. But then, an ambush had changed his view. Kaede was already pregnant with his little flower, Matsuo was thrilled. He always wanted a sibling, someone to play or talk with. He had gone into the forest, searching for spots where they could play when his younger sibling was old enough.

Hikaru was in the garden when it happened. He would never forget the terrified shriek of his son. He dropped the book he was reading and without further thought rushed into the forest. There he saw the disappearing backs of shinobi warriors. But as he turned his gaze to the ground he saw his dying son, several kunai embedded into his body. The desperation that settled within him, the hopelessness was something that he never felt before. He picked up his son, his dark terrified eyes watching him, knowing that the inescapable death would come and take him away. The blood that trickled down his cheek didn't stop him from speaking. His words causing anger, loathing beyond belief.

"Please, don't hate them." He choked, his skin slowly turning paler. A faint smile appeared then. "I hope that little nee-chan can wait a bit longer before it can meet me." His eyes dimmed then, the spark of life leaving him. He yowled out his pain, cradling the body of his dead son against him as he sunk through his knees. That's how the guards of waterfall village found him, covered in the blood of his firstborn, his eyes dark and filled with hatred towards their kind. He never forget the how the murderer looked. All clad in black and white, with unnatural hair.

"Damnit," Hikaru grumbled, brushing the tear that rolled down his cheek away with anger. With one last look towards the door that led to his daughter's room, he sat down on his bed, opening the book he was reading to the page he left off and started to read. There would be no sleep this night as he would watch over his child.

**xXx**

Sakura sighed, her head resting against her father's arm as they drove back to Konoha. Thanks to her sickness her father didn't sell all the goods he wanted to. She could see it in his face that he didn't like it, no matter how many times he reassured her that it wasn't a problem at all. She still felt a bit woozy, causing her to snuggle up against her father to steal some of his body heat.

The ground they rode on was soggy, soaked by the heavy storm that raged through the lands. Pulling her cloak tighter around herself, she hoped that they would stop soon. She was tired, exhausted even. She could feel her eye lids becoming heavier, but she willed it away. She needed to stay awake. She had traveled on these roads before back in team roads was swarming with thugs, beggars and rogues. Sakura had always felt them leering at her and her team, but they never attacked, probably because they'd seen her former Sensei walking behind, his presence giving them a silent warning that if they dared, they would be defeated in a mere second.

But now it was only her and her father. Sure she could do a bit of combat, she had passed the test after all, but now she was all on her own. No one there to back her up if she made a mistake. A mistake that could turn into a lifetime of regret if it turned out wrong. Because it wouldn't be a stranger nor a client she would be protecting. It would be her father, the man that gave her life and cared for her. Even though they didn't have much of a relationship, Sakura loved her father. Seeing how her two teammates had grown up without parents it made her appreciate what she still had. Even if they mostly didn't get along.

"It's alright to rest Sakura," Her father suddenly spoke up. "We'll be reaching Konoha in about two hours."

Sakura smiled, lifted her head up from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. "It's ok Dad, I'm not that tired."

Hikaru snorted, his dark eyes leaving the road for a second to favor the sight of his daughter. "I can feel you nod off child, don't try to fool me."

Sakura sighed, placing her head back against her dad's shoulder as she closed her eyes briefly. Maybe there would be no thugs or thieves around these roads today. The weather had been poor all day so maybe they were hiding in their hide out. She hadn't felt any eyes on them during their whole trip back home yet, but still. Something told her to stay awake.

A half hour later, Sakura had been proved right. When she finally decided that her dad was right she felt it. The eerie tingle in the back of her mind. Telling her that someone was watching them. Her green eyes snapped to awareness, shaking off the dazed look of sleep that had cloaked them. Sitting straight up to run her hand to her hair, she scanned the trees surrounding them. She let her arm fall back on the bench but at edge. Her father always kept some weapons there just in case he would be attacked. She could feel the tip of the hilt from the short katana she'd seen her father wield several times.

A small smile crept up her face as she raised both her arms and faked a yawn. She could feel three more eyes on them. She needed to think of a plan how she could keep her father safe while she fought off the people who watched them with bad intent. Her mind raced through ideas, but nothing came to mind. She bit her lip nervously. Whoever it were that were watching them were coming closer by the second. She could feel it. Then an idea came to mind. It was risky seeing the jutsu that came to mind she developed herself. It could make the people involved see whatever she wanted them to see while she could move around without any of them noticing. The problem was, they needed to be much closer before she could set up the genjutsu and she needed to let them believe she was unaware of them closing in and make sure her dad didn't find out she was using the skills he loathed.

With a sigh she let her arms fall back to her side, her mind trying to come up with more ideas to make sure they reached Konoha safely.

"I told you to get some sleep, Sakura," Her father said sternly. Unaware that his only daughter was anything but sleepy at the moment.

Sakura nodded, standing up by the bench as she climbed into the wagon. Pulling the cloak tighter around her, she made sure her hands were covered. Hoping that her father didn't notice it. Lying her head down and closing her eyes, she opened her senses. She counted three still, closing in with every second that passed. The moment they were close enough, Sakura made the hand signs of the jutsu, hoping- no- praying that it worked like she had written it out on paper.

The moment she could feel the draining pull of the genjutsu on her chakra system she stood up. Looking down she could still see herself lying there and a smile appeared on her face. It actually worked. Her dad continued to ride, blissfully unaware of anything that was happening around them this moment . Forcing the image she'd made to slow, she could see the illusion of her father literally being pulled out of him. It was a strange sight indeed.

Instead of letting it follow them, Sakura forced image of them to turn towards the nearby inn. Releasing a relieved sigh, she could feel the three men following them, going after the genjutsu. A small giggle broke through her defense as she sat back down on the bench next to her father. The faces would be priceless when the moment they would be attacked they would turn into five logs. Now only hope they would reach Konoha before they found out and that her father wouldn't miss those wooden blocks from the stacks he'd bought. She let her head rest against her father shoulder, her heart beat speeding up when Hikaru threw an arm around her to give her more warmth and to make sure she wouldn't fall off when she dozed off. With a smile she closed her eyes, the trip she thought to be disastrous turned out to be a nice trip. One she wouldn't mind to make again.

**xXx**

Sakura was working on some homework she'd gotten from her first day at her new school when a soft tap brought her out of her concentration. She laid her pen down as she tilted her head up to look outside. A black crow was sitting before her window. When the black eye met the green ones he flew off. Sakura had seen them before. It happened once in awhile when Kakashi had been summoned to the Hokage tower during their training. But why had it landed before her window? She stopped chasing her career in that profession.

Shaking her head she picked up her pen, wanting to continue her work. But a curious pull stopped her from doing so. She wanted to know why the Hokage was summoning her. Making up her mind, she closed her school book. Walking out of her room and into the landing she moved downstairs. Her father was working and her mother was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. They wouldn't notice it if she were to disappear for a few moments would they?

Tiptoeing her way past the kitchen door she slid her shoes on, careful to be as quiet as possible. Grabbing her house key, she opened the door, closing it with just as much care as she'd done everything with her small little escape.

Not much later she reached the Hokage tower, her hand raised to knock on the door that separated the office from the hallways. But she couldn't do it. The nerves in her body were on overdrive. What did they want from her? Maybe the bird made a mistake and the summon wasn't meant for her. But before she could turn around and walk away, the door was opened before her.

Startled, Sakura moved backwards, her eyes traveling up a common black kimono to meet equally dark eyes. The woman smiled kindly to her, holding the door open.

"There you are Sakura-san, we'd been expecting you. Come in." She didn't mention the fact she could feel the young girl doubting in front of the door, causing her to open the door for her instead. Sakura blinked, bowed quickly as a greeting before she moved inside.

Nothing had changed since the last time she'd been here, only that the blonde lady was now watching her with curious eyes that rather annoyed and bored. A file lay open in front of her, her hands folded and resting on top of it.

The sound of the door closing behind her made Sakura jump. It gave her the feeling that she was trapped. It seemed that the woman felt her uneasiness as she soon placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sit down Sakura-san, we need to talk to you."

Sitting down on the chair that was appointed to her, she sat down. Shizune moved behind the desk to retake her position next to her friend and leader.

"So Sakura-san, you probably wonder why I have summoned you here?" Tsunade started.

Sakura nodded, not daring to speak out loud.

"Tell me, do you know about who the report is over that lay before me?"

"I do not know, Hokage-sama," Sakura answered truthfully.

"It's about you and everything that's happened the past week."

Green eyes widened in shock. "What? How?" Sakura staggered.

"Everything that happened to you the past week was a test Sakura-san," Shizune replied. She turned into the little boy Sakura had helped twice. The green eyes widened as saucers when that child turned back to Shizune. "That little child you helped and even the presence you've felt in the end was all me."

"Why?" Sakura brought out with effort. She was surprised, taken aback. Why would they do such a thing?

"Because you have the skills, the talent to become like us," Tsunade answered her question. "A medic-nin."

Tsunade continued, "You showed compassion to strangers in need, abnormal control over your chakra and above all, you surprised us with the skill you possess so soon in your life. It was even better than I expected. You even developed a new genjutsu that fooled three jounins. You! A genin no less. You girl, have a potential to become a great ninja. That's why I summoned you Sakura."

Sakura fell back against the rug, trying to take in everything that has been said. "Why are you telling me all of this?" Sakura mumbled. "I've quit, remember? I don't even have a team anymore."

"You don't need a team with what I'm about to offer you, Sakura. I'm offering you to become my apprentice." Sakura's eyes widened with shock.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. I want you as my apprentice. With everything you've shown, I would be a fool to turn you away."

"Me? Your apprentice?" Sakura spoke out, more to herself than anyone else. "T-That would be such an honor!" The dream she had as a little kid could still come true. She would be trained by the Hokage no less! But then her eyes saddened at the thought of what happened. What if in the end she wasn't what the hokage wanted and was tossed aside? Not to mention her parents. How would they react to the news.

Her father had done so much for her the in the past week. It would all be in vain. The bond they created would be shattered by this. Something that she didn't want to happen. Not when she finally found out what it was like to have your parents stand beside her rather that fighting every step she took.

"I'm sorry," Sakura mumbled. Her eyes tearing up as she looked into the honey eyes. She was torn apart. One part of her heart was screaming to say yes to the offer. To take what she wanted above all. But the other was screaming to turn away. It hurt her more than the time Sasuke left her on that cold stone bench.

"I can't accept your offer." With that Sakura jumped up from her seat as if it had burned her and ran out of the office. Leaving an even more shocked Shizune and Tsunade behind.

_**To be continued…**_


	6. suprise visit

**Chapter 6:**

Sakura heaved her heavy schoolbag on her shoulder. The strap that had been resting on her right shoulder had been sliding off, threatening to fall before she came into action. With every step she took she could feel her books collide with the side of her leg. Her life had been drastically changed during the three months.

The whole day the sun had brightly shown down upon them, making it almost unbearably hot. She hoped as she continued to walk, she was home soon where a nice shower awaited her. At school the air conditioner was being replaced. Leaving her and her fellow students to melt away in their chairs during the classes.

Tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear, she smiled at the girl beside her and nodded in agreement. Just like her, Miyami was in this education because of her family. They were expecting her just like Sakura's dad expected her to take over the family business when they were ready. During classes they would write each other notes, careful not to get caught by one of their teachers.

She had been rambling about that guy in their economic class again. Sakura honestly had no idea what Miyami saw in him. He was an arrogant snob, thinking he was better than everyone just because he came from the rich district. Not to mention that his 'daddy' was friends with the daimyo of Fire. Maybe his looks weren't that bad, but that didn't give him the right to boss people around as if he owned the place. The worst thing was that he treated Miyami as his personal slave. What angered Sakura the most was that she even accepted that fact or hopefully (but doubted it since the girl wasn't that stupid, she hoped) was still on cloud nine to overlook that she was poorly treated by the man she loved. Yep, being ignorant of some facts was truly a bliss sometimes.

Her emerald eyes widened then in realization, flashbacks on how she acted around Sasuke flashing through her minds. She and Miyami weren't so different after all. She did exactly the same thing with the last Uchiha. Blissfully ignorant to all of his miss treatings and harsh words to get rid of her.

She bit her lip. Her eyes casting down towards the ground before her feet. She had been acting like an idiot back then. And now looking back at her behaviour, she felt ashamed. Knowing that she acted like a lovesick fool out of hope to get recognized by the boy she loved most. No wonder Kakashi pushed her the way the moment the other two of his students left.

But still, she didn't always acted like that, she argued back to herself. She was the first of the three to walk up the tree and he still hadn't wavered his eyes off from the two progenies before him. He didn't even congratulate her on a job well done. Not even a ruffle through her hair she hated so much and made her feel like the little girl she was in his eyes. He hadn't seen what she could do and therefore didn't give her the required training she needed. She may have acted foolish, but that didn't give her genin sensei the right to push her away like trash, not even worth his teachings.

Looking back up to Miyami she was relieved she hadn't noticed she had been lost in thought. With a fake smile and a wave Sakura bid her friend farewell, the small gate that led to the front porch in sight. It meant Sakura was close to home too. Kicking a small peddle as she continued her way, she quickened her pace. She needed the cold shower to wash off the stench of sweat and those memories that resurfaced.

Her mother was preparing dinner when Sakura entered through the front door. Placing her schoolbag against the bottom of the stairs she walked into the kitchen to greet her parents.

Hikaru was sitting by the dining table, readying this morning's paper. Well more pretended to read it. Sakura knew for a fact her father had already read this morning paper at breakfast. He only did this to make a sour attempt to hide the fact he was overseeing his wife cooking abilities.

Sakura had heard stories about how her mother had burned water. To put it plain, she was a total klutz in the kitchen when it came to cooking. As far Sakura could remember, this was the fifth kitchen they've gotten since they lived here. Her mother would be fine if she just focused on what she was doing and not day dreaming away over tomorrow.

"Is there time for me to take a quick shower before dinner?" Sakura asked, switching her gaze between her parents until one of them answered.

"No there isn't," her mother replied as she shoved the freshly cut vegetables into the pan. "Dinner is almost ready."

Hikaru on the other hand glanced up from his paper and began to fold it up. Meanwhile he searched eye contact with his daughter. When their eyes locked a lazy grin appeared on his face. With a short tilt of the head and a wink he told her she could have her shower. He lifted one finger before dismissing her with a gentle smack on her rear with the morning paper.

"Thanks Dad," Sakura murmured softly only so that the person in question could hear it. He smiled at her in return before flipping the paper back open as she walked away.

Sakura grabbed her schoolbag on her way to her room, lying it down upon her desk. Taking a soft, fluffy towel and clean undergarments from her closet she moved towards the bathroom for her much needed shower.

When dinner was done, the recently hand-washed pans and service sat glistening on the countertop. Her parents moved to the living room while Sakura made a freshly new pot of coffee before moving towards her room.

She closed the door behind her. Her eyes shifted from the door handle to her desk only to freeze on spot at what she saw. Another black crow was sitting on top of her schoolbag. His coal black eyes blinked at her, his wings stretching slightly as he beak opened and closed.

The young girl sighed, glaring at the open window and shooing the animal out. This was the dizzilion one that made it into her room. Ever since she declined the request of becoming the Hokage's apprentice she found one of those birds near her home. It seemed that her answer didn't settle well with the blonde lady. But it doesn't matter how many birds she would send to her. Sakura would stay with her decision even when deep within her heart she wanted to say yes.

Closing the window with a slap, she opened her bag to pull out her homework. She had a lot to do before tomorrow. She ignored the crow that moved back to her window sill and focused her attention upon her work instead. She had almost forgotten the bird was even there when he decided he wouldn't settle with being ignored. He began to tap the window with his beak, his claws scratching the white paint that covered the sill.

With an annoyed sigh she put on some music, careful not to turn it too hard to alert her parents but not soft enough so she wouldn't still hear those ticking noises.

It didn't settle well with the bird as he began screeching as if his life depended on it. Franticly Sakura looked around, hoping to find something that could shut the bird up before her parents found out. Not finding anything and the annoying high pitched screech reaching its peaks Sakura had no other choice than to let him in.

"Alright already!" Sakura growled, opening the window. "Shut up! I led you in okay?"

The bird blinked, hopping inside and settling on her desk if nothing had happened. With an annoyed huff Sakura seated back on her chair.

Resting her chin on her open palm she stared at the bird. "Now what do you want?" Sakura asked, even though she already knew the answer.

He blinked at her before tilting his head back to scratch his body. As if he tried to act innocent for all of a sudden.

"Oh no you don't," Sakura growled. "You've been pestering me for hours and now you're going to do this?" She bristled angrily. The bird moved his head to look at her before he made his way towards the drawer where the picture of team 7 was hidden.

He tapped on the lid one time before turning his head back to her. Sakura, understanding what he's trying to say, lost her anger. "I know. I hate it that I have to give up that life. But there is no other choice! And what if I'm not good enough huh? She would just toss me away like garbage just like they did!"

Realizing what she was doing she let herself fall upon the bed, mental en physically exhausted. "I'm talking to a bird as if he could understand me," Sakura muttered. Her green eyes followed the bird as he settled upon her head. "It's official. I've become mad, lost my mind completely."

The bird in answer tapped her head once with his beak. "Glad you agree."

Sakura shooed the bird off, sitting back up. "Now you know my answer. No I won't do it. Now please, please leave me alone!"

It seemed to have heard her prayers, because the tiny animal looked at her one more time before flying off through her window and into the darkness of the night.

"Thank you!" Sakura huffed, letting herself fall back on bed as she rubbed her forehead tiredly. All this madness would give her a headache someday.

**xXx**

The next couple of days, Sakura was glad that her nightly visitors had stopped coming. At one point she was glad. They finally figured that even if they kept pestering her she would stay put on her answer. She wouldn't become her apprentice, no matter how much the Hokage wanted to or she. It just wasn't meant to be.

But on the other hand, she felt like another one had given up on her. She knows she shouldn't feel that way. The hokage wasn't even her teacher, and she was the one refusing her training and help all the time. But still, seeing those small, black pests knocking on her window or even sitting upon her desk when she would get home, gave her a tiny bit of hope. Hope that maybe she would get the courage enough to step up and go to Hokage to accept her proposal.

But just like those months ago, she couldn't. No matter how hard inside she'd screamed to go behind the back of her parents and do it.

With a sigh she laid down her pen. She had finished her paper about the economics difference between the five grand nations. Five thousand words just like they wanted. Putting it between her schoolbooks to make sure it stayed neat, she started to pack her bag for tomorrow.

Meanwhile she kept wondering why her mother was starting to act so weirdly. Sometimes she started to talk to thin air as if it was a living and breathing person standing next to her. She had a lot of painful sores and fainted a few times. She claimed it what just a small cold. It could be, Sakura agreed. But as far as she had known her mother, a cold would leave her after a week. This was going on for nearly two weeks. She kept her mouth shut though, not wanting to pass as nagging child nor question her mother's abilities to look after herself that didn't concern cooking. But still, she would keep her eyes on her. Maybe her mother was right and it was just a cold. But that didn't take away the uneasiness.

A loud knock on their front door made her come back to real life, Her eyes automatically shifting towards the window. Standing up from her seat she leaned out of the window, catching a glance of two shadows standing in front of her door. By the time she realized just who was standing in front of her door, her blood chilled with fear.

She ran downstairs, but the moment she opened her mouth to close the door, her father pushed the handle down and opened the door.

The dark eyed man stared at the two women before him, studying them both before regarding them with distaste. They were shinobi.

"What do you want from us?" he nearly growled. His voice was calm and collected, the tone quiet but threatening to kick them out the minute they said something he didn't like.

Shizune narrowed her eyes at the disrespect the man was showing. Tsunade however started to like the man. He showed he didn't back down on anything, not by gender or title it seemed.

"Do you realize you're talking to the leader of this village Haruno-san." Shizune bristled.

Sakura's father huffed, snorting like she just made a joke before his cold tone gave them an answer. "I don't care if she was the Daimyo herself. What do you want or leave us be."

Shizune sucked in her breath, her eyes narrowing and her nose wrinkling as she wanted to start yelling right then and there. She stopped however by the raised hand of her friend and leader.

"We simply wanted to talk to you and your wife Haruno-san, regarding your daughter."

Sakura froze when her name came up. And as he father slowly turned to regard her, she gulped nervously and smiled. The smile vanished soon though as she saw the death glare her father was giving her. Now she finally understood the reason why those birds stopped coming. They went to the next level. Personal contact.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

Special thanks to everyone that kept up with me so far.

I hear a lot of complaining that even though it's checked there are still some few errors. I'm sorry about that and if you do see them please tell me. I can't see them myself really since I have dyslexia and it isn't even my native language.

I'm really in the clouds right now that a dear old friend of mine finally got back into my life. *hugs V* Missed you so much hun! So you should thank her for lifting up my spirits that I finished this chapter and next way ahead on schedule. But don't expect the next chapter out so soon. I'm still busy checking that work myself (as far as I can see the mistakes ofc.)

One again thank you all for your patience and putting up with me. And for that I put up a small prize. The first three persons that can tell me where this phrase comes from can get a sneak peak of the next chapter. Now hear it comes:

"_The greatest thing you can ever learn is to love and be loved in return."_

As an answer I want: the person who said it and to whom, which movie/game/famous person it came from, and at last the year it came out/ had been said. If even one thing is wrong in your answer, your whole answer is wrong. Good luck!

_**Owari**_


	7. oops, found out

**Chapter 7:**

The mood in the Haruno household dropped to a chilling degree. Tsunade and Shizune placed themselves upon the couch, their eyes sliding over the decorations of their home. Or appeared to do so. Sakura doubted it that they couldn't feel the tension in the air.

Sakura was seated on the other couch, opposite of their visitors. A low coffee table stood in between. Hikaru was seated next to his daughter on the right. His eyes were narrowed and his arms crossed in front of him as he glared at the two females. But his outright hatred and his hostile posture didn't faze the two ladies at all.

Sakura's mother walked into the room, placed a silver platter on the table that was filled with cookies and tea before settling herself next to her husband. Her face was calm and collected, definitely the opposite of her lover. She lay down her hand on Hikaru's knee before she lifted her green eyes on their company. She nodded a greeting, a small smile gracing her lips. But Sakura knew it was a fake one. It didn't reach her eyes at all.

The silence was nearly cutting. Sakura was afraid that if she would make even the smallest sound, the hell would break loose. Nervously she switched her gaze between her father and the two kunoichi's.

Shizune was holding a file, probably about her talents and test results. The grip however she held over the piece of paper was a bit too hard than necessarily.

Tsunade looked rather bored, not infected by the cold and harsh welcome nor treatment. She did notice that her partner was getting anxious and smirked inwardly. Too bad Hikaru had such loathing of ninja. He would have made a wonderful interrogator. He already had the glare and dangerous feel about him.

Her honey eyes shifted to Sakura's mother. The moment she entered the room she felt something off about her. Her hair seemed a bit too pale for a women her age. As if it had lost her glow. Her eyes seemed to be sunken into her skill. She definitely caught something that endangered her life. But she wasn't here about that.

She shifted her attention to the reason why they were here. The girl in question looked nervous, the biting of her lower lip and her sweaty palms were a dead giveaway. But Tsunade felt no guilt in placing her in this situation. A young girl with so much potential, talent in the medical field is rare to find these days. Especially one with such a kind soul as hers. The moment she lay her eyes upon her test results she was certain. This girl would be her apprentice. It would be foolish not to see the strength in the girl. She had been disappointed when Sakura had said no against her proposal. Or the continued ignoring of her calls. But if Tsunade wanted something, she would get it one way or another. Sakura was destined to be great. There was a reason why Kami had placed her upon her path, and who was she to ignore fate's calling? She wouldn't give up on this girl.

"First of all good evening and thank you for having us," Tsunade said politely.

Hikaru snorted. "Like we had a choice. Stop beating around the bush, say what you have to say and leave."

Seeing that Shizune got ready to yell again, Tsunade grabbed Sakura's file from her hands and handed it over to Sakura's father.

"Look into this file, I'll explain it while you're reading it."

With a huff, clearly against his own will he took the file, eyed the Hokage one more time before opening the file. Every little detail about her daughter's kunoichi career was in there he noticed. How old she was when she did the test, her talents and weakest points. Even the test they did on Sakura while she was away on a trip with him. He hated it to say it, but as he read all those details, the highly praise comments that was written next to some situations they tested her on, filled him with, dare he say it, pride.

"You're daughter is an phenomenal student, Haruno-san. She has talent, skills I haven't seen in ages. She has what it takes to be great in this business. As you can see, she has marvelous chakra control that even rivals mine if she continued working on it. If you just let me take her under my wing, I can make her one hell of an kunoichi that would make Konoha proud."

"That may be so. But I won't let you turn my daughter into a murder," Hikaru growled. "You say my little girl has what it takes to take lives of others? Killing people without even feeling guilty! I've seen how you guys work, and I won't let my daughter become a heartless tool for this village." He snapped the file closed, his face like thunder as he stared at them.

"I'm not making her a murder," Tsunade said calmly. "I'm turning her into a healer, a medic. Filled with knowledge to safe lives normal doctors can't even hope to safe."

"Right, and with all that knowledge about the human anatomy, she would become even a more ruthless killer."

"Haruno-san, please," Shizune pleaded. "If you just look at the file again, maybe you can understand what Sakura can achieve under our guidance."

"I understand perfectly," Hikaru spat with venom. He grabbed his daughter's file and threw it into the fires. "That phase of my daughter's life is over. I heard you guys out, but my word is final. I'm not allowing you to turn her into a killing machine nor a tool of this village. Now if you be so kind, get out of my house, and off my property."

With a curt nod, Tsunade stood and moved without another word out of the house, Shizune following closely behind.

The sound of the door closing was deafening, and it chilled Sakura to the bone. She never had seen her father so angry before. It frightened her. He still stood in the position he was in when he threw her file into the fire. It hurt her that he had thrown that part of her life without a final back glance, but she couldn't have expected any less. He loathed shinobi and everything that comes with it. A jolt of agonizing pain ran through her. Did that mean he also loathed her at one point?

"Did you know about this?" her father's voice was deadly calm but cold. It was even worse than his yelling.

"Yes," Sakura answered quietly. Her eyes were casted on his feet, feeling his cold glare on her.

"Why haven't you told me!" Sakura cringed, bracing herself when she saw her father's hand raising up, ready to smack her.

"Hikaru!" her mother called out."Stop acting like a barbarian! You're frightening you're only child, don't you see that!"

Tears of angst streamed down Sakura's cheeks as she was curled up, shivering on the couch. He could even smell the salt of her tears. His dark eyes widened with realization and lowered his hand. Instead he rubbed his face tiredly as he tried to calm down before he once more turned towards his daughter. He reached out his hand to stroke her hair, but drew back his hand as he saw how she flinched at his touch.

"Sakura…"

Green, teary eyes looked up at him. "I called them off for you Dad! I knew you wouldn't like it so I refused their offer. I hadn't said anything because I hoped that if I continued to ignore their callings they would stop. I didn't want to anger you unnecessary. I'm sorry."

With that said, Sakura dashed out of the room before anything more could be said. Hikaru stood frozen as he heard her sniffling, her footsteps on the stairs and landing before she closed her bedroom door behind her.

Kaede watched her daughter go before she to stood up. She took the silvery platter that was unused and brought it to the kitchen counter before she returned to the opening of the living room. Her green eyes took in the frozen form of her husband before she sighed.

"I know that you weren't in your right mind when you moved to struck Sakura. But she doesn't know that Hikaru. I want you to really think about what you've just done."

"I didn't mean to, I-,"

"Losing our son was painful for us both. Especially since Sakura choose the same path he did at her age. But don't take your anger out on her. Those two ladies wouldn't have been here if she would have said yes. She did what she thought that would please you the most. That girl upstairs, loves you, needs you as her father. Not someone that dictates how she should live her life. We're supposed to guide her and support her. Not raising our hands when she does something you don't approve of. Now, I'm going upstairs to comfort my daughter. I suggest you calm down before coming up."

Kaede moved towards the stairs, her eyes filled with worry and pain at seeing the man she loved raise his hand to slap her child. She could still hear the sniffing on her child, trying to muffle her sounds of distress. Her heart ached for her. With a soft knock on the door to warn her of her arrival she stepped in, ready to give all the comfort and warmth she could provide.

**xXx**

The next morning Sakura moved quietly out of her bedroom. She tiptoed down the landing and stairs before entering the kitchen. She placed her school bag on the dinner table, checking once more if she had all her notes and books she needed for today. With a relief sigh, she closed her bag once again when she saw she had everything. Quickly opening the fridge to grab a bento box she placed it in the side pocket of her bag. She glanced at the kitchen clock anxiously. It would take another half hour before her father would come downstairs for his morning ritual, enough time for her to quickly make some toast, drink some milk before heading off without being seen.

She was just enjoying the first bite of her toast when she could hear the heavy sounds of footsteps on the staircase. Her eyes widened with fright, the toast she held in her hand falling on her plate as she turned her eyes to the clock.

Too early! She still had fifteen minutes before he was supposed to come down. Gulping down her milk, she quickly set her dirty glass into the sink. But as she turned around, her eyes widened to see her father standing in the opening. There was dark circles under his eyes and seeing the black stubble on his lower face told her he hadn't shaved yet. His dark eyes looked at her school bag before turning his gaze on her.

She quickly averted her eyes down, afraid that if she does something wrong he would snap. She looked like a deer caught in highlight, but in reality it wasn't that much off. She was afraid of him, and Hikaru knew that. It disgusted him but there wasn't anyone to blame but himself.

He sat down with a tired sigh, studying his daughter and trying to come up with words what to say. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have directed my anger at you and I'm sorry. I know that you fear me, but please don't. It hurts me that my only child fears me."

Sakura stayed silent, not sure how to act nor what to say. She fidgeted with the edge of her shirt, waiting for her father to say something more, never once glancing up at him. But as the silent between them grew longer, she couldn't resist the temptation and turned her eyes up. His head was being supported by his hand, his eyes cast down on the table. He looked defeated and worn out. He even seemed like an old man other than his normal self. He looked ashamed and his dark eyes were filled with pain and regret.

Slowly she edged towards him and as she came closer, she could see his tears. Carefully she placed her hand on his shoulder, sliding one leg over his before propping herself up in his lap. She hadn't sit in his lap for ages. But now, seeing him so sad, it seemed liked the right thing to do. Throwing her arms around his neck she hugged him and smiled a teary smile when she felt his arms curl around her waist to embrace her back. She could feel the wetness of his tears soaking in her clean shirt, but it was okay. They were even because her own tears soaked her father's robe.

"I love you, you know that right?" Hikaru asked her with a broken voice.

Sakura nodded, nuzzling further into her father's warmth as she felt his grip become tighter. She felt protected and loved more than she ever felt before from him.

"I know Dad. I love you too." She felt him smile, even if she didn't see it. One of his hands came up to caress her hair before his lips pressed upon her forehead.

**xXx**

With a soft snap she closed her note book. The homework assignments for upcoming week were finished. With a relieved sigh she leaned back against the tree. It was a good idea to get out of home and go to the park to clear her head. Placing the black notebook into her bag she closed her eyes. All she wanted now was to relax and enjoy the warm weather.

"Well hello Sakura-san. I haven't seen you in awhile."

Green eyes snapped open with fright, gazing up the shinobi attire and tanned skin to meet the warm brown eyes of Iruka-sensei. In his hands he held missions reports. Probably on his way for his duty behind the mission desk, Sakura thought.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei," Sakura said politely. She drew her legs closer to her body. He was the last person she wanted to talk with today. He had always been kind and nice to her. Giving her material of the higher classes so she would have a challenge.

"How come that I don't see you at the mission desk anymore?" He asked kindly. He kneeled, going down to her height to seem more personal.

Sakura swallowed heavily. He must have noticed by now she was in casual clothes instead of her usual ninja attire. He probably already expected her situation. "I have quit Sensei," she murmured softly. "I'm not fit for a ninja life."

He frowned, staring down at her as he watched her curl up even more. "Well, that sounds ridiculous. You were one of my most promising students."

He placed his files on the ground before he sat down beside her. "What happened?"

Sakura shrugged. "Naruto and Sasuke are gone Iruka-sensei. Without them the team isn't worth much."

"Don't you dare say that Sakura," Iruka said sternly.

"What? It's true. Otherwise Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have left me alone."

Brown eyes widened with shock. "He did what now?"

"He left me alone Iruka-sensei. I heard it from you that he went on a mission that night. Seeing I wasn't even important to be informed, that says enough about my qualities about being a ninja. I'm not worth it." Sakura dusted her pants off before grabbing her schoolbag. "It was nice seeing you Iruka-sensei, but I need to go home. I promised Dad that he could test me on my big economic test tomorrow." It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. She had promised her father that, but that would be tomorrow.

She left a dumfounded school teacher behind, not believing what he just heard. He didn't even know how much time passed by before Asuma and Kurenai walked by.

"Hey Iruka, are you alright?" Asuma called out. He took his last drag of his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and crushing it with the sole of his sandal.

Kurenai's red eyes looked at him worried, and helped him up. "Is something wrong?"

Iruka shook his head, trying to progress the information he had gotten an half hour ago. It felt like he had taken a punch to the stomach. How could he have missed it? He should have known something was wrong when he noticed the red puffy eyes of Sakura that night. He should have contacted the Hokage earlier when Sakura didn't show anymore in the mission room.

Asuma had taken all the mission files that lay on the ground beside him. "I'll carry these," he said casually when Iruka made a grab for them.

Without much protest Iruka let Kurenai take him by the arm, guiding him towards the main path before Asuma fell in step with them, walking towards the Hokage tower.

"Did you guys know?" Iruka suddenly spoke out.

"Know what?"

"That Sakura had quit?"

"She what?" Kurenai called out. She turned her head to look at Iruka, searching his brown eyes to see he was lying, but was astonished to see he wasn't.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too. She had so much potential. It seems she thought she wasn't worth the shinobi life since Kakashi neglected her it seems. He hadn't even given her a message he had gone on his mission."

"You mean that night I saw her standing on the water?" Asuma interrupted.

Iruka nodded. "Yes, three months ago she had quit, and we didn't know anything."

Kurenai sighed. "If I had known, I would have easily taken her under my wing."

"Or I would. Ino is Sakura's best friend, and now that Shikamaru is chuunin, she could have easily filled up his gap whenever he went on his own missions."

"Maybe if we lay down that proposal with the Hokage, maybe Sakura will join us again," Kurenai said thoughtfully.

Iruka and Asuma snorted simultaneously. It was Iruka who spoke out. "Have you met her parents? Especially her father? He would have been in cloud nine to hear his daughter quitting. No, she already enrolled into a civilian school. It's not right to mess up that girl's life any further. Even if I wanted to, she made that choice on her own. We can't force her to come back."

Asuma nodded. "Iruka is right, we can't do anything right now."

"Oh, yes we can," Kurenai said angrily. "The moment that lazy bastard comes back from that mission he will get an earful from me. It's his fault that Sakura had quit, or at least had a part of it."

"Now now, Kurenai, you don't know that for sure," Asuma tried to calm the women down.

"Exactly, Sakura confirmed it," Iruka said. "She told me she was left alone."

"Argh, that bastard is going to get it," Kurenai bristled. She waved with her hand angrily, whilst Asuma and Iruka quickly took a few steps back. They were glad her angry wasn't directed at them, because Kurenai could be really scary when angry. They felt a bit sympathy for their fellow jounin. Only a bit though, because of his doing, one of their promising youngsters had quit. Something that had never happened before for that reason: being abandoned by her active sensei.

_**To be continued…**_


	8. painful realization

**A/N:** I want to thank all of you loyal reviewers/readers that stick to this story. It means much to me that you all take time to read this. So thanks.

It took me awhile to get this chapter on paper just the way I wanted it. It still came out different than I wanted but alas I don't have much time. I'm spending the holidays with family in the woods ( aka no internet for the upcoming weeks). I was smart enough to send this piece to my email so I can update it now (instead of the second week of January) while I'm still in a hotel where they have internet. The peace is still not beta'd yet, so my apologies for any mistakes that I've made.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

**Chapter 8:**

The mission was long and dreadful. After three months in those icy lands, tracking down missing politics and the people behind the whole ordeal, Kakashi was glad to be home. Even with the sun long down, and the winter season had come around and settled down, it was still warmer than he'd lived through for three months.

The big, green gates that shielded the northern entrance of his beloved city came into view. He released a relief sigh. Glad to know he was only a few minutes apart from his apartment to get some well deserved rest. With his none-stop travelling since last night, his muscles were sore, screaming for a break. His report could wait until tomorrow. It wasn't like they weren't used with him handing reports and mission files in late. He was famous for it.

Finally having reached the gates, he dropped to the ground. He grinned slightly at the startled reaction the two guards gave him with his action. He waved his signature greeting, ready to move further when his eye widened slightly with surprise. Unlike before, where they would smile and wave back at him, this time around it was different. Their eyes glared daggers at him and remained silent as he passed by. Their reaction made him wonder why they were acting this way. Had he forgotten something important?

The lack of knowledge made him anxious and forget his tiredness all together. As he strolled down the streets, his mind was turning every rock and peddle, trying to figure out what he'd done to upset them so. He was so lost in his musings, he barely registered the approach of three colleagues but quickly dismissed them to continue his research. With that mistake, he missed the killing intent that surrounded one of them.

His eye widened in shock as his head turned to the left. An audible slap disturbed the silence of the night. He blinked confused, wondering what the hell just happened. He shifted his head back, becoming aware of the steady growing warmth and painful tingling on his right cheek.

His lone eye stared at the feminine hand raised in the air before following the attached arm to look at the person who'd just slapped him in the face. Onyx eye met ruby ones, glaring deadly back at him. Kurenai looked at him with such disgust and hatred, he was silently glad that slapping him was the only thing she'd done.

She breathed heavily, barely restraining the urge to strangle him. She had to admit that slapping him gave her great satisfaction. A thought came up to do it again, but decided against it. They both knew she couldn't lay a finger on him when he was fully aware of his surroundings. She slowly lowered her hand back to her side, her eyes glaring daggers as she scowled at him.

"How dare you Hatake," Kurenai spat with venom. "I never thought you would sink that low!" She scoffed at his baffled expression, getting even angrier that he acted that he didn't know what he had done.

"I hope you feel happy about what you've done, asshole!"

Kakashi was confused. First the cold shoulder he received from the guards, now this. He really couldn't figure out what he had done to anger them so. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Kurenai's hand flashed up, ready to strike him again with his answer. Her attack however, was stopped when Asuma's hand clasped around her wrist. "Violence doesn't solve the problem Kurenai," he said calmly.

"Well it does make me feel a lot better," Kurnai bit back, wrenching her wrist from his hold and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Asuma eyed the woman beside him. He understood why she was angry, he himself wasn't that pleased with the man before them either at the moment. But he should get a change to explain himself. Knowing that she won't move to strike him again, his eyes turned to Kakashi once again.

"What do you mean, I don't know? Surely you know that you're last remaining student has abandoned her career as shinobi."

The startled expression he gave them clearly stated he didn't. "She what?"

"Don't act surprised Hatake," Kurenai grumbled. "We all knew you hated it when Sarutobi-sama dragged you out of ANBU to be a genin instructor. With one student leaving the village to chase some nutcase, one being trained under Jiraiya-sama, why would you want to stick around for one?"

"How dare you say that," Kakashi said stern. His eye narrowed as he felt anger boiling up inside of him. "I may not have paid much attention to her training, but that was only because the other two needed my help more than her. She was the only one capable to do the exercises I gave them on her own without further instructions."

"Yeah, and because of that she felt neglected by you," Iruka softly entered the conversation. "I spoke to her a few days ago."

_"How come that I don't see you at the mission desk anymore?" He asked kindly. He kneeled, going down to her height to seem more personal._

_Sakura swallowed heavily. _

_"I have quit Sensei," she murmured softly. "I'm not fit for a ninja life."_

_He frowned, staring down at her as he watched her curl up even more. "Well, that sounds ridiculous. You were one of my most promising students."_

_He placed his files on the ground before he sat down beside her. "What happened?"_

_Sakura shrugged. "Naruto and Sasuke are gone Iruka-sensei. Without them the team isn't worth much."_

_"Don't you dare say that Sakura," Iruka said sternly._

_"What? It's true. Otherwise Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have left me alone."_

_Brown eyes widened with shock. "He did what now?"_

_"He left me alone Iruka-sensei. I heard it from you that he went on a mission that night. Seeing I wasn't even important to be informed, that says enough about my qualities about being a ninja. I'm not worth it."_

After Iruka was done retelling their conversation, Kakashi was left dumb founded. How could he miss such a thing? How could he be so stupid to forget sending a message to her? All because of that, he had pushed her to the limit and beyond. Made her think she wasn't worth his teachings or even be in this profession.

His eye showed the guilt he was feeling, his hand clenching and unclenching as his mind progressed the information he just received. His hand ran through his hair, stopping mid way and grabbing the strands harshly. "I, I didn't mean to. I simply forgot to send a message."

"And that was the last straw for her," Asuma said. This whole conversation was taking his toll on him. He really could use a smoke right now to ease his nerves. His hand went in to his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Plainly ignoring the glare he got from Kurenai, he took a drag. Ahh, much better.

"You really didn't know?" Kurenai looked at him, her anger gone. He was slowly turning into a mess with this news. It seriously hurt him to know he had failed yet another person, it almost made her feel sorry for him, almost. It was bound to happen eventually with his lazy habits. She only hoped it never did.

"No I didn't. I would never abandon someone," he sighed. "Excuse me, I really need to go."

Without another word he vanished in poof smoke, leaving the three colleagues behind. He appeared a couple blocks away from Sakura's home. His heart hammered in his chest as he slowly neared his destination. He never came in the civilian district, he never found it necessarily to talk with Sakura's parents.

He cloaked his presence, not wanting Sakura to know he was there. Her home looked comfy as he neared the residence. The living room was coated in the light of candles and the fire place. Sakura's mother was sitting on the couch, laughing and clapping at her husband and child.

The dark haired man he'd seen on that day by the Hokage tower to pick Sakura up, held Sakura by the waist. Then he lifted her up and held her in place as Sakura placed the golden star on top of the Christmas tree.

She was lowered once again, squeaked in happiness and her eyes briefly closing as her father kissed her on the side of her head.

"Wait one moment princess, I need to get something." Hikaru left the room, leaving Sakura standing in front of the tree in wonder. It didn't take long from him to get back, a present now in his hands.

"This is for your hard work, sweetheart." He gave the package to Sakura, watching with glee to see her eyes widen is surprise.

She untied the ribbon, and wanted to lift the lit off the box when it moved on its own. Her heart made a frightful jump as two small paws, a warm yet wet nose poked out of the box. Two brown eyes gazed up at her when she finally removed the lit, his little tail wiggling of happiness and let out a small bark.

"He's so cute!" Sakura called out, grabbing the small pup carefully and holding him up in the air. Then she brought him to her chest, hugging him as his tiny pink tongue licked her jaw.

"For such a marvelous report, filled with only straight A's at the Economics Academy."

She lifted her head up, placed he puppy on the ground before she embraced her father. "Thank you so much Dad. I finally found the thing I'm good at I guess."

Hikaru ruffled her hair, pride shining in his eyes.

Slowly Kakashi removed his presence from the scene, careful and silent to not disturb them any further. One part was glad to see Sakura so happy with her family. He had known her unhappiness when her parents didn't agree with her choice of career. But it hurt him to see the blankness and hurt in her eyes when she said she finally found the thing she was good at. He knew her heart lay in being a shinobi of Leaf. The dreams and wishes she'd told him was all pointed towards it. He screwed up badly and he had no idea how he could make it right.

**xXx**

Now that the school was closed during the holiday season, Sakura had no glue what she should do. Her father left two days ago, right after the day they've set up the Christmas tree for the upcoming holidays. She wanted to go with him and his small errand just a few miles from Konoha. But when her father asked her to come along, she refused.

The condition of her mother was going downhill. She didn't have the strength anymore to go to the market for groceries, hell she was already out of breath when she came down the stairs. It worried her so much she didn't dare to leave her mother alone in their house. Who knows what would happen in the time she couldn't watch out for her?

None of their relatives lived close by. The closest by the Northern beach of Fire country close to Tea country. The rest all live either in Snow, her mother's part of the family, or travelled around like her father as a merchant. All in all, none she could trust enough to keep a close eye on her mother while she was gone.

"Sakura-chan, could you come here for a minute?" Her mother called from the kitchen.

Standing up from her position on the porch, she ignored the indignant yelp she received from Toru. He had been resting peacefully in her lap before she interrupted his slumber.

When Sakura appeared in the kitchen, her green eyes widened with fright to see her mother's handkerchief coated with blood. Her right hand was grabbing the counter so badly, that her knuckles went white. Her whole form shook as she coughed, her normally bright eyes dull and clouded with pain.

Sakura rushed towards her mother's side. Her legs were shaking and it wouldn't be long before the sheer strength that kept her up would be gone. She kicked a kitchen chair from under the kitchen table, before ducking under her mother's right arm and lowering her to the chair she had placed behind her. She rushed towards the telephone then, ready to call the hospital when her mother called out brokenly that stopped her.

"Please, don't! I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Mom you're coughing up blood! I would call that far from fine! If you just let me-"

"I said no Sakura," her mother called sternly.

Sakura eyes widened at her mother's anger. She really wanted to ignore her mother's command and simply call a damn doctor. But she couldn't. Never in her whole life has she misbehaved or didn't listen to her mother. Her eyes lowered to the ground with defeat. She didn't want to stop now.

Kaede sighed with relief. She leaned back into the chair, catching her breath as her coughing fit was over.

"I want you to take the money I placed on the counter and get anything you want for dinner. I forgot to do groceries today." She smiled weakly at her daughter, her hand shaking slightly as she pushed the wallet closer to Sakura.

"Stop that," Sakura whispered softly. When she didn't receive any answer she snapped her head back up, her eyes narrowed. "Stop acting like everything is ok. I'm not naïve mother, I haven't been when I first stepped foot on Shinobi Acadamy."

Her mother's eyes went wide with surprise. She hadn't expected a reaction like that from her only child.

"So stop treating me like a little girl damnit! It's not ok. Every day I see you getting worse, and it's hurting me. Why won't you go see a doctor?" Her green eyes pleaded with her mother, hoping she would find reason and go seek help.

"I don't need one. It's simply a bad case of the flu," Kaede lied, refusing to acknowledge the disease that was threatening to kill her, anything more than that.

"I know you know it's more than that," Sakura bit out.

"Enough!" Her mother yelled. She slammed her hand on the table to get her point across. "Go get the things I ordered and I don't want any word out of you, young lady!"

"But mom-"

"I said no. Now go and do your chores."

With reluctance Sakura grabbed the leather wallet from the table. She turned to glance at her mother, but as she no longer had her attention, she knew she had lost the battle. Then I just make it a real quick visit to the store, Sakura thought as she pulled on her boots. She petted Toru on the head, giving him instructions to keep an eye on her mother while she was gone. Even though he probably hadn't understood her, his brown eyes staring up at her warmly, his little head cocked to the side as he glanced up at her, it did help to ease her worries a little while she was gone. She pushed Toru back inside when he wanted to follow, ignoring the whine behind the now closed door.

She ran the whole way towards the store, grabbed the first thing she knew her mother would like. It was an easy dish, one she could make herself so her mother wouldn't have to do all the work. She didn't want her mother standing so long when she was so sick. Glancing into her shopping bags that she had everything, she quickly joined the waiting line. She bounced from one leg to the other, anxious to get this done so she could go home and take care of her mother. She sighed annoyed when the person now being helped by the cashier, engaged a little small talk with him. Why, on this day of all days, would everything go ten times slower than usual. Finally the woman grabbed her groceries and moved out of the line.

For her it seemed ages until it was her turn, mouthing a soft 'thank Kami' when it was her turn. She didn't even wait for the change. When the man was done packing, Sakura said a quick 'thank you' before rushing out the store. All in all it took her thirty minutes in total. She opened the front door with her key, throwing her coat on the peg before grabbing the shopping bags.

"I'm home!"

Toru ran towards her from the living room, barking happily to see his mistress back. Seeing him in a happy mode, she dared to hope nothing had gone wrong. How wrong she was. The moment she stepped into the kitchen she got an eerie feeling. Her mother was hunched over the counter.

"Mom?" Sakura called softly, her emerald eyes filled with worry. She could see her mother really needed to force herself to turn her head. Her dull eyes concentrating (it took her longer than usual, Sakura noted) on her daughter as she barely could summon the strength to smile. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body falling backwards as she lost consciousness.

The shopping bags fell from her hands as Sakura ran forward, yet too late to catch her in mid-fall.

"MOM!"

_**To be continued…**_


	9. Turn about

**A/N:** I thank you all for those encouraging messages, it really warmed my heart. It's been so long that I've written something. Between my job and family, I hardly found the time anymore to write. So now everything calmed down between that, I found more time to write. I really am sorry that you have to wait this long for another update. It really wasn't mine attention to let you wait this long.

Knight: I thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you like this story.

Smileyz: Yes, Kakashi screwed up big time indeed. Back in the series I really didn't like the way Sakura was brushed off by him nor the way she simply accepted that fact. He had trained Naruto and Sasuke, so why not her?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OC's.

**Chapter 9:**

So many people running around. People with long white coats that discussed the information on their chards, nurses calming down relatives or friends of patients, newly brought in patients that get wheeled in by the paramedics. So many sounds, so much chaos. All what Sakura could do was stand there numbly, staring at the two twin doors her mother had disappeared behind. Her hands were still coated with her blood. The sounds of her mother choking in her own life liquid ebbed within her mind.

"_Mom please hang on!" She turned her mother around, her green eyes wide at the sight. Blood was pouring out of her mouth, choking sounds erupting from her throat._

_She desperately tried to help, turning her mother around so that the blood had free run instead of pooling up in the back of her throat. She ignored the warm blood sticking onto her skin, the sound of her own voice yelling within her mind numbing her._

There was nothing she could do. She had no medical knowledge that could help, her father was unreachable. She was left on her own. A hand touched her shoulder, trying to gain her attention. She blinked, as if trying to come out from the spell she'd been under. The sounds of the chaos around her sounded dulled, as if she was underwater and wasn't really there at all. She stared dazed at the lips moving, forming words that didn't reach her.

"Miss Haruno… Miss Haruno…"

Was someone trying to reach her? Why was she here in the first place? Shouldn't she be at home and lying in bed already? Her mother surely gets pissed if she finds out about it.

"She's gone into shock…" The grip that was held on her shoulder tightened. What was happening?

SMACK

"Pull yourself together young lady," a young male voice finally reached her. She blinked, bringing up her hand to the place where the man had smacked her. The sounds returned to normal and Sakura winced. She hadn't realized just how loud it was in this place.

"Miss Haruno are you alright?" her green eyes found gentle blue ones. They stared at her questionably, wondering if she might needed to get hospitalized too.

She nodded slowly, lowering her hand to her side as she turned to him. "Yes, I'm fine."

She dodged the questionable look the doctor was giving, but as she saw the blood of her mother staining her hands she snapped her head back up. "Where's my mother?"

The doctor sighed, his eyes filling with sympathy. "Where's your father young lady?" He really didn't want to discuss this with a child.

"He's on a business trip, he won't be coming home until a week from now," Sakura hurriedly explained. Before she could open her mouth again, she was interrupted.

"Is there any way we could reach him?"

"No," Sakura bit out, starting to get annoyed. Why did she have to answer his questions when they didn't answer hers in return? "Now, what's wrong with my mother?"

"Calm down Miss, I can't discuss this with you. Do you have any relatives that live close by you could call?"

"No, the closest lives in Northen Beach. Why can't you tell me?"

The doctor sighed, running his hand through his wild blond hair. "Your mother is in really bad shape, and the thing is we don't know what's causing the damage. "

Sakura's eyes went wide. What did that mean? Did that mean they couldn't cure her? Couldn't make her better? Did that mean she was going to die?

Fear gripped her heart, freezing her insides as she stared at him numb. Then anger rose within her. She dashed passed the doctor, dodging the arm attempting to grab her. She pushed the twin doors open, running through the hall as she looked through the small windows, searching for the one familiar face. She already heard the man chasing her a few steps behind her. But instead of heeding his warnings, she speeded up.

She ran through another set of twin doors and stopped abruptly. Her breath came in short pants, her eyes tearing up at was she saw before her. Many doctors were leaning over her mother, one frantically admitting cpr while one other charged up the defibrillator. Even with all the machines surrounding the table, so many information flashing before her eyes, she could single out one thing that frightened her the most. Between all that chaos, all the commands being screamed, yelled between the doctors was that flat line of the heart monitor.

"Mommy?" Sakura called out weakly. The sound of the peddles shocking her mother sounded like thunder through her head.

A pair of arms wrapped around her, shocking her back to reality. She struggled, kicking and screaming as she was dragged away from the room.

"NO! Noo! Mom! Mommy!"

The flat line continued, the sight of her mother lying lifelessly on the table carved forever into her retina. The edges of her vision started to get fussy before everything fade to black.

**xXx**

To see the girl so broken in the hospital bed, it hurt. She had seen the fire in her eyes when she teleported them from a collapsing house, had seen her laugh as her eyes filled with joy. But now, to see such a strong young lady being defeated by such horrid event, slashed down to a girl frightened, confused and vulnerable made her heart go out to her.

She had been doing her rounds in the hospital when she heard the news. She quickly handed her rounds to another nurse before making her way to the civilian floor. Normally she wouldn't even be there, her talents would be wasted if she would treat such minor wounds. But now she was there for someone else. She already gotten the chart of Kaede Haruno, and it didn't look good. Knowing the doctors here, they probably didn't even tell her what caused her mother to collapse.

When she had entered the room the doctors had placed her in, she was still unconscious. They cleaned her up, washed her hands from her mother blood. But she knew that even if Sakura looked at her hands, she would be reminded at the horrid event.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, pushing strands that fell before her eyes back behind her ear. Her breathing had turned back to normal, and for now it looked like she was peacefully resting. But Shizune knew it was different. Behind the closed eyelids, she could see her eyes rapidly moving, every now and then she could see her eyebrows twitch downwards, her hands tighten on the blanket lying over her. She was sleeping restlessly.

She kept stroking her hair, noting that it calmed the girl down. She would send a message to the Hokage about this. She knew that Sakura's father was out of town, and they needed to arrange a place for her to stay.

When the girl had been sleeping calmly for a while, Shizune left the room momentarily to notify Tsunade about her whereabouts. But when she came back, Sakura was sitting upright. Her eyes were looking around confused. Probably wondering why she was here instead of the comfort of her own home.

Shizune kept quiet, her mood saddened as she saw how Sakura started to realize that is wasn't a bad dream she'd been having.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" Sakura croaked softly. She turned her head to look at Shizune, her eyes shining with tears.

Shizune shook her head, moving towards the bed to embrace the young girl. Without any restrained the girl accepted, curling up against her as she wept, crying her heart out. Shizune accepted it all, stroking her hair and back as she made soft shushing sounds. "It's ok Sakura, go ahead, cry. It's ok. Let it all out."

Sakura couldn't remember how long she sat like that, but even after the tears had tried up, her body stopped shaking, she kept holding Shizune in a death grip. Afraid that the moment she would let go, she would leave her alone. The warm hands stroking her hair and back made her feel safe, and for now she didn't want to leave that illusion. She sniffed, turning her head to stare at the medical document lying on bed beside them. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her mother's name.

"Is my mother still alive?"

"Yes."

A breath of relief escaped her. "You know what's wrong with my mother?"

"Yes and no," Shizune sighed.

"What do you mean?" Sakura leaned back from her warm embrace, although reluctant. She stared into the black orbs, noting just how sad they looked.

"Before I can answer your questions, can you answer a few of mine first?" Shizune waited until Sakura nodded, knowing that this was going to be hard on the girl. If she answered the way Shizune feared, there was near to no hope left to safe her mother.

"When did your mother start to act weirdly and what was weird about her?"

Sakura tilted her head down, searching within her mind when she started to notice the difference in her mother. "Six weeks ago. She started to see things, hear me when I was not around. She would suddenly faint and had some weird bruises with the slightest touch. But not always."

"Very good Sakura. That is very helpful. What happened further?"

"Well for some time it lessened, but then it became worse." She swallowed heavily, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. "She became tired really fast and cough more. Up to the point she started to cough blood. That's how I came here."

"Why didn't you alert us earlier?"

"I wanted to! But Mom always found doctors some weird humbo jumbo's that only rambled stuff to make them look smart. She didn't believe in medicine. She always said it would pass. But when I saw her coughing blood, it was too late. I asked her so many times, pleaded her to allow me to make an appointment. She didn't listen!"

"It's ok," Shizune hushed, lying a comforting hand on Sakura's arm. "It's not your fault. Know that."

Sakura sighed, took a deep breath before tilting her head back up. "Do you know what happened to my mother?" She noticed Shizune looking away, before she started to talk.

"Yes, I know. We've seen this only twice before. We don't know what had caused this, but we suspect bacterial infection. We don't have treatment for it, but what we do have is moderately difficult."

"What happened to them?"

"They both died. I'm sorry."

Sakura shook her head. "No, there must be something else. You can't give up on my mother, please!"

Just then Tsunade walked into the room. "I'm willing to look over your mother's case, Sakura. But I want something in return."

"Tsunade-sama! You couldn't possibly-!" Shizune stopped her outburst when Tsunade raised her hand.

"I only ask of you to train with me. That's all."

"Why? Why are you so hell bent on me if I'm already rejected by my former team. I'm useless, weak! How can you see so many great things in me when I even failed my own mother. How can I be trusted with the safety of the fire nation if I even can't keep my own family safe? I'm worthless."

She didn't expect the hit in her face. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she rubbed her red left cheek.

"Say that again and I'll gladly slap you again," Tsunade said angry. "Your team may have rejected you, but that because they probably haven't seen the potential in you like I have. I see what you're capable off. You're the girl that marched into a collapsing house to safe a child you didn't even know. Performed a two-handed jutsu with one single hand in first try. First try! Something even now most of my jounin can't accomplish. I trust you because I've seen the Fire burn brightly within you girl. The only reason you couldn't safe your mother is because you didn't possess the knowledge to do so. Let me have a chance with you, train you so you won't have to feel this way. I can teach you how to safe people where others already given up hope. But I can't force you. I can show you the path and teach you the tricks. But it's you who has to walk it."

Sakura sniffed, her eyes trimmed red as she stared at the woman before her. She had so much faith in her, it almost made her believe in herself. Yes she'd done those things. She did that with sheer luck. The woman she described didn't feel like her. But she really wanted to be like her. Be the beacon of light when others gave up. She wanted the strength to be able to protect her family and friends. But with her current education, she couldn't do that. But she didn't want to stop that too. She made friends, she had a strong bond with her father because of it. She didn't want to trade that in for something different where she already had been rejected once. And yet, it sounded so tempting, the promise of the ability to protect loved ones was something she always wanted.

"Alright," Sakura whispered. She released the blanket and stared into the honey eyes that stared at her.

"Alright. I'll agree to train with you. But I have three conditions. It won't hinder my education, only and only in my spare time, and promise me my father won't find out."

Tsunade grinned, satisfied she finally gotten the apprentice she wanted. "Agreed." She turned to Shizune holding out her hand.

"Shizune! Hand me Kaede-san's file already. We're going to have our hands full."

_**To be continued..**_


	10. Rebirth

**A/N:** I'm sorry to say that I'll be leaving this story for a bit. The first part has been written and now I need to figure out how I want this to continue. So I'm going to ask you how you want me to continue on.

1. Were we left off from this point.

2. Where Sakura's a year older

3. Don't continue at all, leave it has it is.

Feel free to pm/ review/ email me about it. I'm always up for discussions.  
Further I thank you all for following me until now, I thank you all for the reviews, favs, alerts you guys have given me and hope to continue on writing.

**Chapter 10:**

It was a day Sakura would never forget. She remembered how her father burst into the hospital room where she and her mother resided. His eyes rolled around frantically, taking everything in in seconds. Sakura could almost hear the wheels spinning in her father's mind as he tried to pin everything together. How this had happened, if it could have been prevented.

As Sakura stared at her father, panting from his long run, she felt miserable. Like she somehow failed him without him given her an assignment. She had been sitting upon the bed next to her mothers, her legs crossed underneath her. The book about Economics and trading lay open upon her lap. It was a stab to her heart to see her father cry. The second time she seen him do that in her presence.

He leaned over his wife, his hand gently grabbing the fragile one of her mothers. While he cradled her pale hand against his chest over his steadily beating heart, his other reached out to caress her cheek.

There was no response. No flutter of her eyelashes, no small peep that she might have recognized her beloved returning to her side.

"I'm here my love." Sakura turned her head away, blinking rapidly to force the upcoming tears back. Her father's voice was breaking, shattering. Sakura knew her dad's voice like any other; strong, deep and always confident. Now it was but a shell how it had been.

"I'm sorry," Hikaru croaked. He shook his head, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that began to fall. He leaned further, kissing her on the forehead. "I should have realized it sooner."

The moment Sakura tasted blood in her mouth, she released her lower lip. As silent as she could she hopped off the bed. It hurt her to see her father broken like this. She slipped out of the room, her hand sliding over the hospital walls and doors as she walked. She didn't tilt her head up in acknowledgement when doctors or nurses that recognized her greeted her.

Her footsteps were silent, bringing her through the familiar sets of corridors before she reached the door she'd headed to. Her hand lifted up, knocking three times before she stepped back. Her eyes were still cast towards her feet when the door opened for her.

"Hello Sakura," Shizune greeted her kindly. Her voice was off, Sakura noted.

Sakura lifted her head up to meet sad charcoal eyes. From that moment on, Sakura knew. She sighed, her fists curling at her sides as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart was beating frantically, painfully bounding against her chest.

"Sakura... I"

"How long?" Sakura whispered heavy with grief.

Shizune blinked, her eyes scanning over Sakura. It was indeed a little spirited young girl, filled with potential if she could just see it on her own. Unlike before her form wasn't shaking, showing the loss of control. She merely stood there, her head now titled up to look her in the eye while she waited for the answer she hoped to never hear.

"Less than 24 hours."

She noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks, but no sobs accompanied them. Again Shizune was awestruck just how strong the girl before her was. So many hardmanships had crossed her path and yet through it all she emerged. Scarred, yes; but determined and stronger than before.

Shizune sighed, her heart heavy with guilt. She had hoped that she and Tsunade could have prevented Kaede's death. But her disease was already in the last stage. The only thing they could do know was lessen the pain the woman had.

She kneeled down, her hand moving to pet Sakura over the head. She smiled sadly, wiping away the tears she spilled before pulling the girl close. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more."

Sakura nodded, leaning into Shizune's embrace. She rested her head against her shoulder, her hands grabbing the fabric there to hold on to her. "I don't blame you. I should have raised the alarm sooner."

"Hey," Shizune called out sternly but soft. She grabbed Sakura by the arms and forced her to look her in the eyes. "It's not your fault young lady. Remember that."

"But-,"

"No buts. Your mother would have refused treatment if you called upon us sooner. She would have lied through her teeth. We know the history of your mother and her family towards medicine."

Sakura bit her lip, coughing slightly as the coopery taste hit her tongue. "Blegh."

Shizune chuckled lightly, walking into her office to grab a clean cloth and dampened it with water. Sakura was already sitting upon her desk when Shizune neared, pressing the cloth against the small wound Sakura inflicted upon herself.

"Thank you Shizune," Sakura muttered when the black haired woman was done.

She hopped off her desk, wishing her goodbye and promised to seek her up if anything bothered her. With slightly renewed strength she went back to her mother's room. Sakura didn't protest when Hikaru pulled Sakura into his lap when she entered. Automatically she placed her hands around her father's waist, her head underneath his chin as she hugged him close.

The familiar weight of her father's arms caging her in and warmth made her feel even better. She smiled bitterly as she felt his thump running up and down her spine as far as he could reach it.

"_Sakura… Sakura_"

Sakura blinked, her eyes open groggily as she tried to decipher what was calling her in the god forsaken hour. She noticed that she was still in her father's lap, his arms still tightly secure around her.

"_Sakura..."_

Her green eyes moved from her father's sweater to the direction of the sound she'd been hearing. It sounded oddly familiar. Green met green and it took Sakura awhile to remember why she should be surprised.

Kaede waited patiently, a warm and gentle smile playing on her lips. Her kind eyes watched as her daughter realized she was awake, and chuckled at the little gasp she made.

"Mom," Sakura breathed out weakly. She climbed out of her father's embrace, her arms wrapping themselves around her mother's neck as she pulled herself close.

"You're awake!"

"For now," Kaede smiled sadly but was gone the next. "I'm sorry making you go through this."

"It's okay mom," Sakura smiled, her voice a bit muffled as she spoke against her mother's neck. Maybe Shizune had it all wrong! She was awake now and she seemed fine.

"Now that you're awake, everything will be fine."

"Sweetheart, will you promise me something?" Her mother suddenly asked. She let her daughter go, her hand leaving the spot where she'd been stroking her hair.

"Anything for you mom."

"Promise me that no matter what, you won't change the way you are. Be that spirited, kind-hearted woman I raised you up to be. Promise me that you never regret anything you do as long as you do it because you wanted to, not by stupid sense of obligation or fear."

"What do you mean mom?" Sakura asked confused.

Kaede hurried on quickly, as if she had a time limit that was coming to an end. "Promise me Sakura-chan. Promise me that you do what you love."

Sakura nodded, feeling the threat hanging over her like a cold thunder storm. "I promise momma."

She leaned in closer hugging her mother with all her strength.

"_I love you baby."_

A loud constant beep rose Sakura from her sleep. Her eyes blinking rapidly as she sat up startled. She was lying on the bed she had been sitting on earlier. She turned her head to the right, and noticed that the sound that caused her to wake had been her mother's heart monitor.

Everything turned numb. The shouting of the people racing into the room, the outraged yell of her father faded into nothing. Her eyes kept staring at her mother's face. Her eyes were closed like it had been like the past couple of days, but something was different. And then Sakura noticed it. There was a peaceful look on her face, her mouth corners curled up in a smile.

Kaede Haruno died that night, passed away in the presence of her husband and daughter. Sakura would never forget that day. Not only because she had lost her mother.

That day she vowed to herself that she would make herself stronger, better. That she would never feel so useless and weak like she had been before. She had made a promise to her mom, a promise she intended to keep. The old Sakura Haruno had died together with her mother and in place; a stronger and determined young woman was reborn.

_**In memory of **_

_**my Sister Elizabeth**_

_**and **_

_**Brother Daniel **_

_R.I.P._


End file.
